


Cursed Sparklings

by Ruby_Dragonryder



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21748534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruby_Dragonryder/pseuds/Ruby_Dragonryder
Summary: The Cybertronians won't stop fighting, and the Universe has had enough! The Cybertronians have now been turned back to Sparklings, and so they must learn together to stop the evil that is coming. Unfortunately, it looks like they won't make it through the first day at the Marono mansion, with their new caretakers Reyna & Paisley. Who is this "Mother Cybertron," and what is this all about? Stay tuned to find out more and how the Cybertronians get home. Or will they ever get home?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Blessing Or Curse...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's Whiteout Predacon here with a new story! This is a story inspired by Yui's sparkling story on Quotev! Check it out if you can because it is AMAZING!!! 
> 
> In this fanfic, the bots and cons are thrown into a very scary situation. What do I mean? Keep reading to find out! 
> 
> Oh! And by the way, Whiteout and Volatile are OC's of mine and a friend. 
> 
> Whiteout (mine) is a white and turquoise fox Predacon with a motorcycle vehicle form as she's kinda a mix of an Autobot and a Predacon, and is also one of Shockwave's first successful cloning experiments. 
> 
> Volatile (hers) is a former wrecker who joined the Decepticons because she thought she was the only remaining Wrecker. She joined the Autobots after she found out that Bulkhead and her best friend Wheeljack (they share a love of explosives) and began working against the Decepticons.
> 
> Anyhoo, on with the story!

The battle was raging, bloody to say the least, Autobots versus Decepticons. 

Knockout and Volatile, the newest recruit, were locked in tight combat, blades against bombs. 

Arcee and Starscream were at each other’s throat, Starscream swooping in for aerial attacks while Arcee used her blasters at every advantage.

Rachet and Shockwave were arguing about what was logical and illogical in between blasts, the dears. 

Optimus and Megatron, of course, were switching between blades and blasters, the latter yelling every once in a while. 

Bumblebee, with the help of Smokescreen, were taking on Dreadwing and Soundwave, who insisted on putting portals every 10 feet. 

Bulkhead and Breakdown were locked in deadly combat, neither able to get an advantage. 

Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus were in their spaceships, dropping bombs at every possible opening. 

Up above, Whiteout, having finally found her dragon form, was trading blows with Predaking, while ripping off the heads of any vehicon dumb enough to get close to her. 

Everyone was too busy fighting to listen to Nature’s warning, not until it was too late. 

Suddenly, everything froze. Nothing moved, but boy did everyone listen. 

A beautiful woman walked out onto the battlefield, looking at each Cybertronian in turn. She had kind blue eyes full of sorrow, and long blonde hair that fell in between a pair of angel's wings. Her long golden gown flowed down to the ground, hiding the lower half of her body. Not a single scar could be found on her body, leading you to believe that she had never seen conflict, though she had.

”Why do you fight?” she asked in a sorrowful and disappointed tone. “There has to be a better way to settle disagreements. Can you not talk amongst yourselves?”

No one replied, as they could not, but if they could, they wouldn’t have anyway, too ashamed to speak.

”Ah, I see. You need a mediator, someone to be in between, to understand both sides.” Her face brightened. “I have the perfect solution. You will become a family. Yes, that should do it. Then you will have to love each other.”

_ What is she talking about? _ the bots all asked in their heads. 

“Until next time, my Cybertronian friends. For now, say hello to Paisley and Reyna for me,” she said with an evil grin. 

She snapped her fingers, 

_**And everything went black.** _

* * *

Reyna and Paisley Morano were not having a good day.

Paisley's boss had just yelled at her because she accidentally let a hunter into the park. How was it her fault that some hunter guy had dressed up as a tourist and smuggled in a knife?! She couldn't have known that he was going to try to kill the wildlife! (Thankfully, he failed, or she would have been fired.) He had looked like a normal guy! 

Meanwhile, Reyna had been given the toughest job of her life: building some rich kid a completely customized car, and she was currently failing. Cars aren't built in a day. If he wanted a custom car, he should go order one from a company for crying out loud! After seeing her friend stress about this job for a week, Palmyra, her co-worker, told her she needed a vacation.

Unfortunately, Reyna and Paisley were tight on money. Together they made just enough for maybe three people. Thankfully, Reyna had recently been engaged to Bowser Iccaro, a fellow car mechanic and salesman, so there would soon be three living in the huge two-story mansion left to the twins by their father seven years ago, along with extra support.

They certainly weren’t expecting the addition of a bunch of baby Cybertronians. 

Reyna and Bowser were in the kitchen with Paisley talking about finances when the doorbell rang.

¨I'll get it," Bowser said, getting up from the table to get the door, leaving the twins to discuss amongst themselves.

"What are we going to do?" Paisley asked her sister.

Reyna sighed. "If someone else doesn't come soon, we're going to have to sell this house," she said, sorrow choking up her throat.

"But we can't sell it! It's been in our family for generations!" Paisley said, shocked that Reyna would even suggest it.

"I know, but this house is too big for the three of us. Maybe if you found someone, we might be able to keep it, but for now... it's just too much!"

"Uh, girls? Did you guys order robots?" Bowser called from the front hall.

"No, but that sounds like something I would do," Reyna said. "Did you order them?"

"No... Don't robots usually come in a box that's in a brown cardboard box?" Paisley asked, realizing something.

"Yeah."

"Then how would Bowser know that the things in the box were robots?"

They sat there for a moment, then rushed to the door to find the package. 

In a large picnic basket, seven small robots lay sleeping. On one end, a blue and red robot lay cuddled in a red blanket. Next to him was a yellow and black striped bot wrapped in a turquoise blanket, which Paisley immediately fell in love with. The third bot was bright magenta and black, tangled in soft gray cloth. That one looked female. The fourth wasn't even a humanoid robot, but something canine, along with two feathered wings, tucked into a rainbow tie-dye blanket.

"What kind of dog is that, Paisley?" Reyna asked her sister.

"That's not a dog. That's some sort of albino red fox, or maybe an arctic fox partially shaved, and a juvenile at that. She's maybe two months old, still just a kit really," Paisley answered after examining the sleeping creature.

"Do foxes have wings?"

"No. Not usually, anyway, but I've heard about experiments on animals that give them additional limbs."

Reyna felt like she had a strange connection to the fox kit. There was something about her that told you she was powerful, yet had a gentle touch. Reyna wanted to keep her, not just because she was adorable, but because the mechanic could tell there was more to her than met the eye.

Next to the fox, a bright red mech lay wrapped in another red blanket. He was covered in scratches, but Reyna knew she could buff those out with the buffer in the garage. Sixth in line was a black and purple bot with a black visor for a face who lay shivering in his black blanket, having not been tucked as well as the others. As Paisley moved the blanket so it would make him warmer, she brushed his chest, which had a strange spiky object attached, which made him purr.

"Aw. That one's kinda cute," she said.

"Look at the last one! He looks like a boss!" Bowser said, pointing at a dark silver and purple mech laying under a violent purple blanket. On the one arm that was untucked, a large violet cannon was attached.

"I can already tell he's going to be trouble," Reyna said, eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean?" Bowser asked her, not following. 

"Isn't it obvious? We're keeping them. I'm not going to let these little cuties stay out in the cold. It is snowing after all, and if we leave them here, their circuits will freeze over and their batteries will die. They're obviously not normal, so it might take some getting used to, but I think we'll be fine."

Bowser raised his eyebrow, then kissed his girlfriend. "That's why I love you. You adapt to change so easily."

"Unlike my machines," she replied, smiling. 

"Now, let's get these metal men inside before we all get frostbite," Paisley said, glad that her sister had read her expression so well. "We need to get them in front of the fire."

It took both Paisley and Reyna to get the basket inside until Bowser took it from them and carried it the rest of the way. When they got it in the living room in front of the fireplace, Reyna took the remote off the shelf to turn on the gas fire. They made sure the bots were still asleep before noticing that there were two envolopes addressed to Reyna and Paisley.

Paisley's note read:

_ Dear Paisley: _

_ I have left these seven Cybertronians on your doorstep. I know that you and Reyna will practically love them to death, so I have a job for you both. I need you to make sure that these bots learn to get along. These are members of the three factions of Cybertron (their home planet) which are:  _

  * _Autobot_
  * _Decepticon_
  * _Predacon_



_ They tore their planet apart through war, which must stop. They will not survive unless they learn to tolerate each other. Whiteout will try to help you with this, of course, but she can't do everything by herself. _

_ Do not worry when you can't understand them at first. I have placed a language barrier between you and them so that they have to solve some of their problems and disputes on their own. Once they start getting along, you'll understand them better. _

_ You and I both know that Reyna will solve just about any problem with force. This may work for a little while, but eventually, the bots will realize that they can just vaporize her, which can NOT be allowed to happen. Your job is to make sure that they like you two enough to agree to put the guns away.  _

_ I wish you luck, _

_ Mother Cybertron _

Meanwhile, Reyna's letter was similar except for the ending paragraph:

_ You and I both know that Paisley is a bit of a pushover, and will do anything she can for the Cybertronians, even if it might not be a good thing. (A few of these cuties will try to blow up the house. DO NOT LET THEM!!!) You need to be the strict one. (Again, NO EXPLOSIVES. You may have to search the pink one for some.) As much as Paisley loves them, she'll spoil them if she gets the chance. _

"It looks like we have our work cut out for us sister," Reyna said with a smile. 

"This 'Mother Cybertron' knows us pretty well. I wonder who she is," Paisley mused.

"Tell you what. I'll stay down here with these 'Cybertronians' and sleep on the couch so that I can be there when these guys wake up. You go sleep in your bedroom. I'll call you when they wake up and then we can find them something to eat in the morning," Reyna suggested with a smile, knowing how tired her sister was.

"Alright," Paisley yawned, not in a position to argue. "Whatever you say." Then she went up to bed.

Reyna got her favorite blue blanket and pillow, and curled up on the couch, waiting for sleep to overtake her.

**_And for what tomorrow would bring._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of having you guys give me things you want the bots and their three new friends to do. Just comment your ideas below, and tell me what you think of this chapter! (I promise the next chapter will be more exciting.)
> 
> Also a shout out to my friend Willow Bug for the name "Mother Cybertron." We both thought it was hilarious! Also thanks for the OC's of Volatile and Paisley Marano, my friend! They are going to be important to this story.


	2. Questions & Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sparklings and the humans interact for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I have a subscriber within 24 hours of posting the first chapter! That's amazing! As a special treat, I will post the next chapter... RIGHT NOW!!! (I have nine chapters written out already waiting to be published, so... XD) 
> 
> Enjoy!

The next morning...

Megatron woke up snuggled in a purple blanket, expecting to be in his berthroom. He stretched, remembering the weird dream he had had that night about fighting the Autobots and then everyone froze and this lady with wings said that they'd have to be a family or else something bad would happen, but then shook it off. 

It's nothing, he thought as he rubbed the sleep out of his optics. Just a dream.

But then, as his optics adjusted to the lighting, he saw Optimus Prime, laying under a red blanket directly across from him, staring at him with eyebrows raised.

"Hello," Optimus said in his normal calm manner. "So you finally woke up. Any idea where we are?"

"No," Megatron answered, equally calm despite the situation. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I'd guess. As for the reason? I have no idea."

The two leaders got out of the picnic basket, carefully making sure not to wake the others in the process (especially Whiteout), and explored their new surroundings. The basket was placed in front of a large black fireplace with a roaring fire under a white mantle that held things like pictures, trinkets, and other small items. The furniture included a big soft black sectional couch, a blue E-Z recliner, an orange Ultimate Sackz, a green Ultimate Sackz, a white coffee table, a tall silver lamp, and a white side table. Three huge windows claimed the back wall opposite the fireplace, framed by cream-colored curtains, matching the orange walls. Through the windows, snow fell across the garden. On the couch, an unfamiliar woman slept, wrapped in a blue blanket. The most shocking thing about her to the two Cybertronians was that she was twice as tall as them.

"So," Megatron said slowly, "It wasn't a dream. The winged lady was real."

"Yes, I believe so, unless this is a dream, but I don't believe so," Optimus agreed.

Megatron clenched his hands, his expression darkening. "So... this is our fault, them and us being here." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I guess it is," Optimus agreed, looking away in shame.

Yelling in rage, Megatron whipped around and shot the wall behind Optimus, purposefully avoiding the Prime.

This woke Reyna up, who, when she saw the two bots (especially Megatron with the gun out), flipped. It also woke up Whiteout, who, seeing what was going on, was content just to watch.

"Uh, no!" Reyna scolded as she picked up the two bots and placing them on the couch before putting her hands on her hips. "I don't care if the note says that the two of you are alien robots from warring parties! There will be no guns fired in my house!"

"Note?" Megatron asked, looking at Optimus, who shrugged.

"Stop beeping when I'm talking to you!"

"We're not... she can't understand us, can she?" Optimus said to Megatron, realization dawning in his eyes.

"Nope!" Whiteout called to the two of them, severely enjoying herself more than she should have been.

"Be quiet, back there-" Reyna started before realizing it was the fox. "Oh, it's you. Do you want to come and sit on the couch?"

Whiteout nodded and padded over to curl up on the sectional's longest part. 

"Now, back to you two. You two are going to make up, and stop shooting lasers, alright?" Reyna continued.

The two bots nodded, and Whiteout smiled.

"Just to be clear, you three all understand me?"

They all nodded. 

"Good."

Meanwhile, a large bang sounded from upstairs. All four of them looked up.

Reyna shook her head, hand grasping her temples. "I can't believe Paisley fell out of bed again. We talked about this." She sighed. "She probably woke up from the sound of your gun, robot," she said, looking at Megatron. "She's been having nightmares about hunters getting into the park for ages. You," she scolded, poking his chest plate, "are not helping. At. All. So get your act together, do you hear me?"

Megatron nodded. This lady was scary, but the way she cared about her sister was remarkable! This concept of loving another person was an alien concept to him.

Ten minutes later, Paisley came down the stairs, yawning. “I thought I heard guns. Is everything all right?”

“The boys were fighting, just like the note said, but it’s fine now,” Reyna assured her sister. “How’d you sleep last night?”

”But we weren’t fighting-” Megatron protested before Optimus elbowed him in the shoulder. “Ow! What was that for?!”

Reyna glared at them, before seeing Whiteout give her a reassuring smile.

”I’ve had better nights,” Paisley replied, watching the exchange. “And it seems like they’re still fighting," she noticed, one eye raised.

"WHY DO THEY THINK WE ARE FIGHTING?!?!" Megatron yelled, exasperated.

"Because you keep beeping," Whiteout said, yawning.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Optimus asked her, eyebrow raised.

"Yep. It's funny how you two only get along when you're sparklings." She smiled.

"Sparklings..." Optimus mused before a light bulb went off in his head. "Of course!! We're sparklings!"

"What?!" Megatron asked.

"The lady... she said we'd 'become a family.' Then we'd 'have to love each other,' she said. Maybe that has something to do with it."

"Well... I did notice something," Whiteout said quietly, not wanting to look into their optics.

Her two oldest friends looked at her expectantly. 

"Like what?" Optimus asked.

During all of this, Paisley and Reyna were sitting next to the three bots, watching the exchange with interest. Reyna laughed when she saw the fox look away from the other two sheepishly.

"Well... I sensed the lady right before she came onto the battlefield. I would have told you, but there wasn't enough time."

"You... 'sensed' her?" Megatron asked.

"I have an ability that allows me to sense the life energy of others. I think all Predacons have it, which is why we're such good hunters, but I'd have to ask Predaking to be sure. Anyway, the energy coming off her was off the charts. If I hadn't have been focused on the battle, I probably would have sensed her in time to warn everyone. That's how much energy she was packing. I mean, she was radiating power like... like..." Whiteout struggled for words to describe her, then continued, "like Primus himself! I don't mean to diss Primus, but this lady was on a whole other level. Just a sec, I need to do something."

Whiteout transformed to her bot form, a feather-winged femme with black-tipped fox ears, turquoise headphones, and her signature turquoise-and-black-tipped fluffy fox tail.

Reyna gasped and put her hands on her mouth, while Paisley just sat there staring. This was unexpected, but the other two bots were unphased.

Whiteout began to use her hands to express her thoughts. "So let's say this is Primus," she said, putting her servos close together, "and this is how much energy I sense when I'm near him. This," she began as she spread her servos as far apart as they'd go, "is how much power that lady was packing. I promise you, she is definitely not your typical human."

"We noticed," Megatron said dryly.

"I'm sorry, Megs. Who asked who to explain?" Whiteout asked with her servos on her hips.

Optimus raised an eyebrow. "Megs?"

"Don't worry. You've got one too, Prime." Whiteout raised her eyebrows and flashed a smile in his direction.

"So... are they fighting? Or what's going on?" Paisley asked her sister.

"I think that they're talking," Reyna replied. "Maybe trying to figure something out."

"You saw the fox change, right?"

"Yep."

Suddenly, the door opened, and Whiteout immediately turned in that direction, her curiosity peaked.

"Girls? I brought the groceries," Bowser said as he came in the front door, taking off his snow-covered coat.

"Put them on the counter, would you? Seriously, why don't you just move in? You're here almost all the time anyway," Reyna told him.

Bowser put down the groceries, walked in the living room, and kissed his fiance's cheek. "I'm working on it, Sugarplum. Soon, I promise."

"It'd better be soon because we've got little bots to love."

Bowser looked at the three bots beeping on the couch. One, the white half-fox, was staring intently at him, fascinated with him.

"Who's the half-fox?"

"That would be the winged fox from last night," Paisley explained.

Bowser's face was the definition of perplexed as he looked from Paisley to Reyna to the curious Whiteout. "How..."

"We have no idea. Might have something to do with the 'Cybertronians' the note mentioned, whatever those are."

Whiteout shook Optimus, who was deep in a conversation with Megatron about the war. When he gave her a questioning look she told him, "Listen."

He raised an eyebrow, but turned to Megatron and told him what Whiteout had said, then all three began to listen to the humans' conversation.

"Any idea who this 'Mother Cybertron' is?" Reyna asked.

"Nope. I've looked her up on every search engine. No luck." Bowser sighed. "Face it. This is a prank."

"Mother Cybertron?" Whiteout whispered. The two boys shrugged, not having heard of her either. "What if that's the lady from the battlefield?"

"That is possible," Optimus allowed.

"I've heard of something humans call a Mother Nature. Could she have something to do with it?"

"I don't think so..." Megatron began, "but then again, what do I know about humans?"

"True. You do kind of ignore humans in general. It's kind of funny, actually. The one thing we protect with utmost care, you avoid like the plague!"

Meanwhile, the adults continued their conversation.

"Found out who Whiteout is?" Bowser asked the girls.

"We have yet to ask. It's incredible, they understand everything we say!" Reyna enthused.

"Everything?"

"Everything," Paisley confirmed.

"So they're listening right now?" Bowser asked.

The three humans looked to find the three tiny bots conversing amongst themselves, before looking back at the people, hoping the conversation would continue so they could analyze it more.

"Wow. They really are smart," Paisley said.

"Hey! I find that offensive, thank you very much!" Whiteout told them with her servos on her hips, trying to reprimand them but instead just beeping.

"If they're so smart, why are they beeping so much?" Bowser asked. 

"I DON'T KNOW!!!" Whiteout roared, her warning colors of black and red flashing violently. "WE SPEAK ENGLISH!! IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND ONE LITTLE THING?!?!?!"

The humans backed off immediately.

"Why is it mad?" Reyna exclaimed.

"I'M NOT AN IT!!!!!" Whiteout roared, her feathers changing into a bat's black wings. "MAYBE, I SHOULD TEACH YOU THE DIFFERENCE, PREDACON STYLE!!"

"We're obviously not helping!" Paisley told her sister.

"Uh, Optimus?!" Megatron warned.

"I see her. Where are her headphones?" Optimus asked, realizing she wasn't wearing them and looking around.

"HEADPHONES?! WHY ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT HEADPHONES?!?!" Megatron shrieked. "Whiteout is totally FLIPPING OUT!"

"Well, those headphones keep her from 'flipping out,' Megatron. Where could they be?"

"Well, I didn't see her with them, unless..."

Both bots looked toward the fireplace. "The basket!!" they both yelled.

"You get the headphones, I'll stop her from murdering anyone," Optimus said, transforming his hands into swords.

"Why do you get the fun job?"

"Because I have a feeling your presence won't help the situation."

"Good point. Just a sec." 

Megatron turned into a spaceship and sped off toward the basket while Optimus tackled Whiteout.

"I cannot allow you to harm any humans, Blackout."

"Says who?!" Whiteout/Blackout yelled. "I am the dark side, the true Predacon spark, of Whiteout. I can do as I please!"

"Hurry, Megatron! I am unsure how long I can restrain her from her deathly mission."

"Nearly found them. I think." Megatron was desperately searching the basket, accidentally waking up others who immediately hid under their blankets to avoid Whiteout/Blackout (especially the Autobots, who knew her best). He finally found them wrapped up in her blanket. "Got 'em! What do I do?"

"Throw them here!" Optimus yelled, meanwhile straddling a bucking Blackout.

Megatron jumped up and "softball served" the headphones to Optimus. The three humans could only stare as Optimus snatched them out of the air and slammed them over Whiteout's audio receptors. 

Whiteout immediately crumpled, her colors changing back to white and turquoise, bat wings reverting back to feathers. She held her servo to her head, her Predacon yellow eyes turning Autobot blue again.

"What... happened?" she asked, Blackout having slipped back into stasis.

"You had a bit of a freak out, but it's over now," Optimus assured her, while sending a smile Megatron's way, who answered with a thumbs up.

"But why wasn't I wearing the headphones?"

"We don't know, but it doesn't matter. What does is that you are safe," Megatron told her as he approached.

"Looks like you two are getting along," she smiled weakly.

"Yeah," Optimus said, letting Whiteout lean on him as he guided her to the couch.

"I guess we are," Megatron agreed, taking her other side.

Meanwhile, the humans were trying to lower their heart rates. They weren't prepared for an evil robot fox to try to attack them.

"Why don't we find everyone some breakfast, and then we can tell them about the note," Paisley suggested meekly.

"Great idea," Reyna answered.

"I love it," Bowser agreed.

"Then we have an action plan."

"Yep."

"Then let's go search the kitchen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this ages ago and am cringing as I read it so I may go back and rewrite it at some point. Until then, ignore the cringiness of this please and tell me what you think in the comment section below. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Order & Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bots start having fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. In the next few chapters, the bots are going to meet some neighbors, but I need your guys' help to do it. I need at least four OC's for a family, and I know you guys are a creative bunch. I'll leave a template at the end of this chapter if you want to submit one. I need at least two kids older than six, one of each gender. I will take care of parents and last names. To submit one, either leave a comment in the discussion section or message it to me directly. I don't really care which. I'll leave a note after that chapter giving credit to the winning ones and place their character sheets in   
> a separate book that I will eventually create called "Original Characters" for all to see.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Reyna, Paisley, and Bowser went into the kitchen, searching for something to feed the seven hungry bots.

"What do baby robots even eat?" Bowser asked, looking through the fridge.

"Nuts and bolts, with a little motor oil?" Reyna joked, checking the pantry.

"I don't think they're cannibals, Reyna," Paisley answered, surveying the groceries Bowser had brought as she put them away. "But then again, there's so much we don't know about them."

"True. Maybe we should ask them what they eat. I say we ask the fox lady," Bowser mused.

"You mean the one that nearly attacked us before the other two slammed a pair of headphones down on her head?" Reyna asked sarcastically, staring at her love in disbelief.

"I have a feeling she was just frustrated. I've seen you do worse when a project doesn't go right."

"Ha ha very funny. Why do you want to ask her?" 

"She seemed to be in charge, or at least have an idea of what was going on. Bossbot and Patriot do seem to like her."

Paisley stifled a laugh. "Who?"

"Bossbot and Patriot. That's what I'm calling those two bots that Foxy hangs out with. Bossbot is the silver one, because he totally looks like a boss, and Patriot is the red and blue one, since those are the colors of the US flag."

"We are _not_ calling her Foxy," Reyna said adamantly.

"Why not?"

"Because that's the name of one of the _male_ characters in that stupid game that your friend showed you. The one that gave Paisley nightmares for three months."

"You mean Five Nights at Freddy. I don't play that anymore."

"You'd better not."

"Okay, so maybe not Foxy. I'll work on that."

"You know," Paisley mused, "she looks kind of... wintery. LIke ice, I guess."

"True, and that ice can quickly become deadly," Reyna agreed.

Bowser snapped his fingers. "I got it! Blizzard!"

"Doesn't that sound like something from the note?" Paisley asked, looking at her sister.

Reyna nodded. "The fox is Whiteout. I can already tell."

"Well, let's just ask her. Didn't it say that she would try to help us where she could?"

"That reminds me... there was a warning in the note," Reyna said, probing her memory for this information.

"A warning? About what?" Bowser asked.

"Something about explosives... I'd have to check, but I think it said something about the pink one too."

"Hey, aren't all the bots up now?" Paisley checked.

"I don't think so. Why?"

"Then why did I just hear a crash?"

The three humans rushed back into the living room to find the bots playing.

"Whiteout" and the pink one were tossing what looked like a mini-explosive back and forth between each other, playing the most dangerous game of catch in history. Meanwhile, "Patriot" and "Bossbot" were deep in discussion about something. The yellow one was trying to catch the red one, obviously in the middle of a game of tag.

"Aren't there supposed to be seven bots? I only count six," Paisley said slowly, checking her numbers again just to be sure.

"We can worry about that later. Right now, the bomb game needs to stop," Reyna said defiantly, deciding on a course of action.

As she walked toward them, Whiteout noticed and caught the bomb, pausing her and Volatile's game, before waving to her new human friend, only just noticing the stern look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Whiteout beeped, well aware that Reyna wouldn't understand a thing she said.

"Aw, come on, Whiteout! That was just getting fun!" Volatile complained. "Why'd you stop?"

"I want to see what the human wants, then we can go back to our game."

Reyna let the exchange end before turning on Whiteout. "Is that a bomb you two are throwing around?"

Whiteout shook her head, then made a "sort of" gesture.

"What do you mean sort of? Is it a bomb or not?!"

She pantomimed an explosion, then shook her head again. 

"So it won't explode? How do I know that?"

Whiteout turned to the pink bot, beeping to her friend. Volatile reluctantly pulled out a reactor core and showed it to Reyna.

"You... took out the explosive part?"

Whiteout chirped her reply, nodding, a fanged smile plastered on her face.

"Can I have that please?"

The pyrotechnics expert pulled away, suspicion in her eyes, before Whiteout intervened.

"She just wants to make sure we don't break anything," Whiteout explained with a chuckle. "No need to be so defensive, Volatile. Give her the reactor core."

"I have a feeling it'd be safer and less likely to explode with me," she replied, not letting go of the core. "How do we know that this human even knows what she's doing?!"

"I'll ask, alright. If she gives a satisfactory answer, you give her the core. Deal?"

"Fine. But she'd better give a good answer."

Whiteout turned to Reyna and began using her hands to communicate the question.

"Me... how... bomb core... not explode," Reyna translated. "Oh! You want to know how I'll keep the core from exploding."

Whiteout nodded.

"How is it any safer with her?" Reyna asked, jerking her head in Volatile's direction.

Whiteout merely tapped Volatile's head, which caused the pink Autobot to step back.

"She's... an expert?"

Whiteout and Volatile both nodded their confirmation.

"I still want the core. Can I have it please?"

Whiteout repeated her earlier question of how she'd prevent explosions.

"I don't know. Stick it in a safe or something."

Whiteout pantomimed something moving.

"Do you mean if the safe can be moved?"

Whiteout nodded.

"Not that I know of. It's pretty heavy. Why?"

Whiteout turned to Volatile. "Is that satisfactory for you?"

"Fine. She can have it," Volatile grumbled, giving Reyna the core. "But if it explodes, I'm saying I told you so."

"Consider me forewarned."

"Thank you, Pinky," Reyna said, as she got up from her crouching position.

Volatile pantomimed rolling up her sleeves, and was about to do something rash before Whiteout intervened, stepping in front of her while shaking her head.

"What's wrong? You don't like that name?" 

Whiteout shook her head, confirming the source of Volatile's outburst.

"I'll work on that. I'm sorry I insulted you."

Volatile, while having stopped trying to attack Reyna, stomped off in a huff.

"I'm guessing she holds a grudge," Reyna said, looking at Whiteout for confirmation.

"Yep," she chirped, watching her friend stomp off. "You should be careful what you do around her, or you might find a bomb in your breakfast one morning."

"Whatever you said, I'm going to take that as a warning."

"Uh, Reyna?!" Bowser called worriedly.

"Yes, Bow- Oh." Reyna chuckled. "What happened to you?"

Bowser was trying to balance four flower pots so they wouldn't fall, standing in a very precarious pose. 

"Those two speedsters don't seem to look where they going," Bowser replied, only narrowly avoiding dropping the vase balanced on his foot.

"You can say that again!" Paisley called, leaning on the wall, out of breath from chasing the Decepticon Knockout and the Autobot Bumblebee.

"That's it!" Reyna yelled, her patience having reached its limit. She placed the vases back in their places, grabbed the two racing bots and Volatile, and dragged them into the dining room and placed them each at the table. Whiteout came in with Optimus and Megatron in tow, the three wondering what was going on. Paisley and Bowser followed them before leading them each to a seat before taking one themselves.

All eyes were on Reyna.

Reyna put her hands on the surface at the head of the table, a serious look on her face.

"I love the idea of you guys staying here, but for that to continue to happen, we're going to have some rules. First, I need to know that all of you... where's the last one?"

"What?" Bowser asked.

"There should be seven bots here. I count only six."

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Paisley sighed.

"Everyone **stay here**. I'll go find the last one."

Suddenly, the TV came on in the movie room, two rooms away.

"How... nevermind. Just stay here." She left the room.

What she was expecting was _**definitely not**_ what she got when she entered the movie room. 

A dark-visored purple and black bot, with two tentacles besides his normal set of arms, was sitting on the couch playing with the remote, some sort of metal... bird, it looked like, perched on his shoulder. If anything, the little bot seemed more interested in what the remote did to the television than what was actually going on on the screen.

"What are you doing?" Reyna asked.

The bot didn't even acknowledge her.

"Are you ignoring me?!"

The bot did nothing.

"Hello?! Are you deaf?!" Reyna asked, waving her hand in front of his visor.

Then, a white-clawed hand gently grabbed hers. Reyna turned to find Whiteout standing there, watching.

"I thought I told you guys to stay put. What are you doing here?"

Whiteout pointed at herself, then at the bot on the couch, who was oblivious to what was going on in front of him, completely focused on the technology in his hands.

"You... want to help?"

Whiteout nodded, letting go of Reyna's hand and stepping directly into the bot's line of sight.

"Soundwave," she beeped. When she got no answer, she snapped her fingers. "Soundwave!"

Soundwave looked up, acknowledging that there was someone else in the room for the first time.

"This kind lady wants to help us, but first we have to do as she says. Are you okay with that?" Whiteout asked gently.

Soundwave looked at her, then at Reyna, then at the remote in his hands, then at Whiteout again.

"I bet that as long as you are willing to listen, the nice lady would let you hold the remote, but you have to pay attention. Do you understand?"

Soundwave nodded, a smiley face emoji showing up on his visor, which startled Reyna to no end.

"Follow me, and you can keep the remote, alright? Laserbeak has to come, too."

Soundwave got off the couch and followed Whiteout back into the dining room and took a seat, all the while Reyna watching with wonder and respect in her eyes. 

_This one knows how to get through to everyone, doesn't she,_ Reyna thought before resuming her stance at the head of the table.

"As I was saying, I love the idea of you guys staying here, but for that to continue to happen, we're going to have some rules. First, I need to know that all of you understand what I am saying. Nod if you understand."

All the bots nodded.

"First off, there will be no guns shown in this house. I don't want to see guns fired, threatened with, anything. Anyone caught using a gun will have consequences. I do not care if you're members of warring parties. Guns will not be tolerated, or any other weapons. Is that clear?"

The bots all looked at Megatron before nodding themselves.

"Second, you listen to me, Paisley," Reyna continued as she pointed at Paisley, who waved, "and Bowser." Bowser nodded his head. "We were told by this 'Mother Cybertron' to make sure you don't kill each other. Are there any questions?"

Bumblebee raised his hand.

"Yes... we're going to have to find nicknames for all of you until we figure out your real names. What is your question?"

Bumblebee began beeping, until Reyna started waving her hands around her head to silence him. "How about this- do you know how to pantomime stuff? Or is that Fox-Lady's thing?"

Bumblebee thought for a second, then pointed at Reyna before cocking an eye brow.

"...Who am I?"

Bee smiled and nodded.

"I am Reyna, car mechanic and older twin of the Marono family."

"Only by ten seconds!!" Paisley objects.

Reyna ignored her. "This is our mansion, and you will respect it. Any other questions?"

Whiteout pantomimed fighting, gestured to the other Sparklings, then gestured to Reyna.

"How... do we know you're from warring parties?"

Whiteout confirmed Reyna's translation.

"We were just about to get to that. Paisley, where are the notes?"

"They're in my bedroom. I'll go get them," Paisley answered as she got up from the table.

"Thanks."

Maybe a minute after Paisley left, the door rang.

"I'll get it. Bowser, you make sure these Cybertronians stay put!!"

Reyna walked to the door, and opened it, seeing an opened package. 

"Uh, Foxy? You might wanna see this," Reyna said, not taking her eyes off the opened box.

Whiteout sighed. "I'll be right back boys," she told Optimus and Megatron as she climbed off her chair and walked into the entry way.

As Whiteout rounded the corner and saw the Cybertronians in the door way, she gasped. "You!"

"Puulease! This is going to be a long eternity."

"Yes. This is highly...

_**illogical."** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the OC template you should use to submit an OC for the story:
> 
> Character's Name  
> Nickname(s) -   
> Physical Description -   
> Age -   
> Favorite Bot(s) -   
> Favorite Hobbies -  
> Group Stereotype - (nerd, popular, athlete, etc.)  
> Personality -   
> Important Information - (origin, family, etc.)
> 
> I can't wait to see what you guys come up with! Thank you all again for reading!!!


	4. Learning Experience - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JEEZ!!! I totally forgot to update! I'm an idiot! Here. Have another chapter. I hope you like it.

"You!" Whiteout gasped.

"Puh-leeze! This is going to be a long eternity," Ratchet griped, wrapped in a bright orange blanket.

"Yes, this was highly... illogical," Shockwave said in his traditional monotone voice, his black blanket laying on the ground at his feet.

"You, you, you backstabbing, clone-killing, murderous traitor of a creator!! How **dare** you show up here?!?!" Whiteout roared, whipping out her guns, a white fire flamethrower and an ice beam.

"What in the world?!" Reyna exclaimed. "Put those guns away. I thought you got along with everyone!"

"Whiteout, think about what you're doing," Ratchet pleaded, abandoning the blanket and trying to stop a catastrophe.

"I did, and I've decided he needs to die."

"Whiteout," said a kind, calming voice from behind her.

Whiteout turned around to find Megatron and Optimus standing there, the former showing flat out fear as he realized what was going on, the latter, calm disappointment displayed clearly in his optics. Meanwhile, Bowser was trying to explain to Reyna that "Patriot" and "Bossbot" were trying to help calm Whiteout down for the second time.

Seeing her friends terrified of her caused Whiteout to pause, her expression softening slightly. "Don't you see? This is my chance to avenge my siblings, who died at his hands."

Bumblebee and Ratchet each placed a hand on her shoulder while Volatile and Megatron helped her lower her weapons.

"Whiteout, just let it go," Optimus told her softly.

She took a deep breath in before answering, "Alright. For you, Optimus, I will let it go."

"Come on, let's go back to the table," Megatron said soothingly, helping Optimus guide her back into the dining room after she had put her weapons away.

Bowser and Reyna watched in awe as Whiteout submissively walked back to the table and sat down, with Ratchet in tow. Shockwave followed once he was sure that Whiteout wasn't going to pull out another weapon. Unfortunately, he now had a new problem: both Volatile and Megatron now hated him for hurting Whiteout, and they were both very well armed.

"So we know something new," Bowser remarked.

"Yep," Reyna replied.

"Foxy doesn't like Cyclops."

"Ya think?!" Reyna exclaimed, staring at her fiance in disbelief. "And what did I say about that nickname?"

"Foxy?"

"Wait. What did he just call me?" Whiteout asked.

"Foxy, I believe," Ratchet told her, glad for the change of subject.

"Isn't that one of those characters from that game Miko likes? Five Nights at Freddy's?"

"Yeah. One of the male characters," Volatile confirmed, liking where this was going.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen. I am not going to be called Foxy, and that is final."

"See? Even the fox agrees with me!" Reyna told Bowser exasperatedly, gesturing to Whiteout's no-nonsense stare directed at Bowser.

"Alright! Alright! We'll call her Blizzard instead." Bowser sighed in defeat.

Whiteout nodded in agreement. "At least that's close to my name."

Paisley came into the room holding two notes before realizing that A, the bots had moved seats, with the Autobots and Megatron, along with Whiteout, on one side of the table, and the rest of the Cons on the other, and B, two more Cybertronians had been added to the group, one Decepticon and one Autobot.

"I missed something, didn't I?" Paisley said, looking from Shockwave to Ratchet to Whiteout to her fellow humans.

"Yeah, but I'll tell you later," Reyna said, still trying to figure it out herself. "Did you get the notes?"

"Yes, I did. Here's yours," Paisley said, handing Reyna a piece of paper.

"Alright," Reyna said, taking her place at the head of the table with Bowser and Paisley to either side of her. "So, earlier 'Blizzard' here asked how we knew you were from warring parties. The answer is we got a note explaining a little bit about you guys. First off, I need to ask who Whiteout is, as the note says she'd try to help us when she could."

"Blizzard", AKA Whiteout, raised her hand and pointed at herself.

"See! I told you, Bowser! The fox is Whiteout!"

"Alright, I'll admit it, that is a pretty good name for her." Bowser smiled at her.

"Next, who's an Autobot, who's a Decepticon, and who's a Predacon?" Paisley asked.

"Uh, Paisley? It says here that Predacon is a species, not a faction," Reyna told her.

"It'd still be nice to know who's who."

"True... Alright. If you're an Autobot, stand on that side of the room. If you're a Decepticon, stand on that side of the room. If you're a Predacon, sit at the respective side of the table of the faction you're allied with."

Four Autobots stood on one side of the room, while four Cons went to stand on the other. Whiteout, as the only Predacon currently present, sat on the Autobot side of the table.

Reyna, Paisley, and Bowser surveyed the Cybertronians and their positions.

"It looks like they were already pretty split up," Bowser noted. "And Whiteout being a Predacon isn't really surprising. She's the only one who looks like an animal of some sort, except for Stripey over there."

"Everyone come sit down in your respective factions," Paisley told them.

Almost everyone was happy to comply, but Megatron, Optimus, and Whiteout looked pretty hung up about not getting to sit by each other anymore. Then Whiteout came up with a solution: she would sit opposite Reyna at the head of the table, with Optimus and Megatron on either side. Both bots were satisfied with this arrangement and sat down without complaint.

The humans watched them with interest.

"Hey, Bossbot?" Bowser called to Megatron.

Optimus pointed to himself, being accustomed to answering to that name as Miko called him that as well.

"No, you're Patriot," Bowser clarified, resulting in an eyebrow raise from Optimus. "He's Bossbot." Bowser pointed at Megatron, who slightly puffed out his chest at hearing his new alias. 

"If you three are on opposite sides, why do you like each other's company so much?" Bowser asked.

All three shrugged, and Whiteout began to gesture something to Reyna.

"She says... it's a long story," Reyna translated.

"One that probably can't be told without the use of words," Paisley said, sighing. She then remembered how Reyna's note especially mentioned "Patriot" and "Bossbot", as Bowser had dubbed them. "Can I ask something?"

The bots all looked at Whiteout, Optimus, and Megatron for confirmation, who silently asked each other before nodding.

"Are you guys in charge or something? Because everyone keeps looking at you three for advice and stuff."

Whiteout laughed while the other two nodded, before shaking her head.

"So, Patriot and Bossbot are the leaders, and you're just their friend?" Reyna clarified.

Whiteout nodded, a sheepish, fanged smile spreading across her face.

"Okay, that clears that up. Why don't we find them all something to eat? Whiteout, would you and your leader friends come and help us search the kitchen for something suitable for... Cybertronians, right?" Bowser asked. "Maybe Techno here can take the others into the movie room and find something for everyone to watch." He gestured to Soundwave, who was still messing with the TV remote.

"How about I help with that? I think I've got an idea for a movie," Paisley said with a smile.

"Alright! Then it's settled. Let's get to work," Reyna said cheerfully, clapping her hands together.

Paisley took six Cybertronians into the movie room and turned on Astro Boy, before handing Soundwave her phone so he wouldn't mess with the movie via the TV remote.

She grabbed her blanket and a bowl of popcorn, which caused the bots to grab theirs, and they all snuggled up on the couch watching the movie.

Everyone except Soundwave, who sat on Paisley's lap playing on her phone while Laserbeak perched on her shoulder, was engrossed in the movie, even Ratchet and Shockwave. When they snuggled closer to her during sad/scary parts, she smiled.

 _They're kind of cute,_ she thought as she watched the robots react to the movie.

Meanwhile, Whiteout has made a strange discovery: the Moranos had _energon_ in their pantry. A lot of it.

Whiteout pointed out the blue liquid and cubes to Reyna.

"You like the blue stuff? It's been there for years. We found it a few years ago and tried to get rid of it, but it showed up in the exact same spot the next day, so we just left it alone," she explained.

Whiteout smiled, laughing, before calling the two leaders over.

"What is it, Whiteout?" Optimus asked.

"What did you find?" Megatron asked simultaneously with Optimus.

"It seems someone knew we were coming," Whiteout grinned, holding up the milk gallons and cubes of energon.

"Should we call everyone in?"

"No," Whiteout began as she got an idea, "I think I have something fun we can make."

"If it's anything like that high-grade energon Smokescreen made, then we're not doing it," Optimus deadpanned.

"What?" Megatron asked, eyebrow raised in confusion.

"It's a long story that you probably don't wanna know," Whiteout told him. "But this doesn't have anything to do with that." She looked up at Reyna before asking, "Do you guys have a library?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't get that," she replied.

Whiteout face-palmed, grumbling how this situation was impossible before Optimus placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and he smiled. Then he turned to Reyna and pantomimed opening a book before gesturing around him.

"... Where do we keep books?"

Optimus nodded.

"There's a library at the end of the hall if you want to go look."

This was the best news the Bookworm Duo had heard all day. They ran off in that direction, dragging Megatron behind them.

"It seems they like books," Bowser deadpanned.

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious," Reyna retorted sarcastically. 

Meanwhile, Whiteout was speechless, staring at 2 stories of wall to wall bookshelves of a gigantic library with over 100,000 books of all genres. Optimus was already reading the covers on the shelves, looking for something interesting to read. Megatron stood in the doorway, looking amused as his two best friends took in the majesty of the athenaeum. 

"Look at all that knowledge just waiting to be discovered!!!" Whiteout whispered in awe once she found her words again. She flew up, scanning the shelves, taking in every title, memorizing the layout as she had done for the Iacon Hall of Records as she searched for her query: a cookbook.

"So many diverse branches of the tree of knowledge are reaching through these walls, wanting to be found," Optimus agreed, awestruck, having found something he found interesting and sitting down to read in one of the many comfy armchairs scattered around the room.

Megatron was studying the floors and ceiling, noting the feather-winged angels and bat-winged demons waging war in the decor above them. On the floor, multicolored, _metal-looking_ men and women fought, their eyes black and their _sparks_ blue as the fallen warriors fled to a sky blue colored man who fought with the angels against a purple man who stood laughing, swords tearing through feathers as he killed alongside the demons. On the floor, humans with blue/brown/green or gold/red/purple eyes controlling the elements fought alongside the metal men who shot Energon blue energy at each other.

“Uh, guys?” Megatron called to his friends as he realized what this must mean.

“What is it, Megatron?” Whiteout asked absentmindedly, not really paying attention to him. 

“Is it something about books?” Optimus asked, his face buried in one, his mind miles away in... Canterlot, as he was reading Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. 

“Get your faces out of those books and look at floor, won’t you?!” Megatron snapped, frustrated.

The other two looked at him strangely before complying.The second they saw the painting on the ceiling and the tiled mosaic on the floors, their eyes widened and they realized what Megatron saw.

Whiteout was the first to voice it, hugging the cookbook in her arms, her eyes wide with wonder. “Those are... Cybertronians!” 

“But there were no humans in the war for Cybertron. What battle could this depict?” Optimus asked. 

“You’re the history expert. Shouldn't you know?” Megatron questioned him, a slight fear in his eyes. 

“No, it’s not the war for Cybertron. It’s something... older, perhaps from the time of Solus Prime,” Whiteout said, studying the layout. 

“The question is... why is this in a human house?” Megatron wondered.

Then Optimus spoke the question they were all asking: 

**_“And what does it mean?”_ **


	5. Learning Experience Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bots start getting more accustomed to their situation, but the one with the glowing eyes is watching from the shadows...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I have a new policy: the more comments I get about what going well and what's going bad on a story, the more I update. I am a writer, and I love writing and having people read my stories, but I'm not a mind reader. I don't know what you're thinking, and it drives me nuts not knowing, so if you guys don't comment your feelings, I don't know what to fix or change or keep the same. All I can assume is that you don't like the story, which makes me not want to write it. So the more you comment and take the polls or input OC's you want in the story or the other things I make for a story, the more I want to write and get inspiration, the happier everyone is!

Whiteout went into the kitchen where Reyna and Bowser were discussing marriage plans. She walked up to Reyna's side and pulled on her shirt to get her attention, the cookbook still in her arms. 

Reyna turned to the sparkling. "What is it, Whiteout? Do you want to cook?" 

She nodded, then shook her head, then pulled on Reyna's shirt again. Why did it have to be so hard to get them to do what you wanted? 

"You want me to follow you?" 

Whiteout nodded, beaming. Finally, she understood! 

"Alright. Bowser, come with me." 

"Sure," he replied, getting up from the counter and walking after them. 

Whiteout led them to the library before pointing to the ceiling. 

"You want to know about the painting?" Reyna clarified.

Whiteout nodded again, Megatron and Optimus coming to stand behind her, all three intrigued and waiting to hear the story behind the art. 

Reyna thought for a second, studying the angels and demons in their war, before answering. She guided them over to a couch so they could all sit down. "Well, my mother used to tell me that they were the souls of our ancestors, fighting their war so that we wouldn't have to. My father would say that if you listened closely, you could hear the banshee-like cries of the demons trying to drown out the angels' songs and bring them over to their side. My grandmother told me that the blue and purple men were Primus and Unicron, creators of a long lost race of metal men and that some humans were granted powers over the elements from one of these great titans." 

Megatron pointed at the floor, wanting her to explain that one too. 

"The floor mosaic is of a battle my grandmother called the War of Order. She used to point out the different members." She pointed to one of the female looking metal figures. "She said that was Solus Prime, the leader of Primus' forces, and the girl next to her," she pointed to a human girl with golden hair and angel wings depicted controlling the elements, "that is Madalynn. She was the first human mage, and there, the one she's fighting," she pointed to a laughing human wearing a long cloak with a hood to hide her face, flinging black energy at Madalynn, "is her sister, Calypso. She was supposedly a servant of Unicron who specialized in dark magic and curses. She often played mean tricks on unsuspecting people. For some reason, people often mistook her for her mind sister, but I don't know how." She looked at the sparklings. "Is that what you wanted to know?" 

They all nodded, giving each other worried looks. This was bad. 

As soon as Reyna & Bowser left the room, all three began talking at once until Whiteout got control of the situation. 

Whiteout talked first. "I've seen at least one of those ladies before. The lady—" 

"—from the battlefield. Madalynn was there," Optimus finished. 

"But Reyna said that the sister was often confused with Madalynn, though it doesn't make sense," Megatron reminded them. "Even though they look completely different." 

It went back to Whiteout. "Perhaps she can disguise herself as her sister? I mean, she did play tricks on people. That would be the perfect way to get close enough to a person to do something terrible that she would probably find hilarious." 

"Calypso must have a really wacked out sense of humor," Megatron agreed. 

"Why do I get the feeling that we're the joke?" Optimus asked, worry in his tone. 

"Or even worse, the punch line," Whiteout agreed. 

They fell silent. 

"This isn't changing any time soon, is it?" Whiteout asked sadly. 

"No, but we should try to make the best of it," Optimus told them, a slight smile on his face. 

"How? We're stuck in a human house, more than half our teams are gone, it's only by chance the humans have energon, Whiteout has already tried to kill Shockwave today, and we're tiny. How could this possibly be worse?!" Megatron asked in disbelief, counting off the reasons on his servos. 

"Don't say that," Whiteout chastised. 

"Why not?" he asked, his frustrations speaking. 

"Because whenever someone says that, things start to get worse!" she explained. 

"What is this, a cartoon? Nothing is going to happen. We're safe here. Mostly, anyway." 

Whiteout groaned. "You never announce that you think you're safe, and you never assume you're safe. Haven't you ever read a book before?" 

"I have, but I'm not going to stop speaking my mind because of silly superstitions. Now, you were looking for something when we came in here?" 

"I was looking for a cookbook." 

"Why is that?" Optimus asked, confused. 

"You'll see. You guys go ahead and watch the movie with the others. I've got work to do," she grinned. 

They walked into the movie room to find six sparklings and one human watching the television. Well, one was really playing on a phone, but you get the idea. 

Optimus and Megatron grabbed their blankets and sat down on the sectional with everyone else while Whiteout dragged, almost literally, Ratchet and Knockout out so she could talk to them. 

"Hey! The movie was getting to the best part!" Knockout grumbled. 

"What made you have to pull us out like that?" Ratchet pouted. 

It seemed everyone was acting more and more like sparklings. Everyone, except Whiteout, Megatron, and Optimus. 

"I have an idea, but I need your help. What do you guys think of..." she opened the cookbook to the page, "...white chocolate chip energon cookies?" 

Yes, the library had Cybertronian/Earth food cookbooks. Don't ask me why. I don't know.

The two bots looked at her in disbelief. 

"You... think this will work?" Ratchet asked. 

"We are medics. If we can't make this work, no one can. Besides, I am willing to try." 

Knockout shrugged. "Okay." 

She looked at Ratchet, who slumped at missing the movie, but agreed. 

Reyna and Bowser had gone to work, and Paisley was in the movie room, so the kitchen was left unattended. They got the ingredients, spread them out on the counter, grabbed the proper tools, and set up for success. 

Whiteout rubbed her servos together, grinning. "Let's get to work." 

It took about fifteen minutes (and the rest of the movie), but they finally had batter pretty much mixed and ready. 

Ratchet was impressed. "I can't believe this is actually working. Sugar, salt, baking powder, eggs, butter, vanilla; none of these things were meant to mix with energon, yet they go together really well in this recipe." 

"Don't dis the cookies," Knockout scolded, mixing in the white chocolate chips.

"It's the instructions, along with a dash of love," Whiteout said proudly, spraying the cookie pan. 

"The recipe doesn't call for love," Ratchet said, looking over the list. 

Whiteout sighed. "It's an expression, Ratchet. I'll explain later." 

"Chocolate chips are mixed in and the batter is ready to bake," Knockout announced, taking the spoon out of the bowl. 

"Then let's get them onto the cookie sheet," Whiteout said. 

That's when the other sparklings came in, the movie has finally finished, and noticed what the three medics were doing. 

"What is this?" Megatron asked after climbing up to the counter. 

"Please tell me this isn't _high-grade energon_ , Whiteout." Optimus looked at the Predacon. 

"Don't worry, Optimus," Ratchet reassured him. "If this were even remotely close to that, I would have shut down the project the moment she told us about it." 

"So what are you making? Bombs?" Volatile asked, following the other sparklings onto the counter, bringing the rest up with her. 

"No! Volatile, not everything is a bomb," Whiteout said. Then she realized Soundwave was looking at the bowl of batter. "Soundwave, what are you doing?" 

He didn't respond. He went over to the sink, washed his servos, then placed his tentacle in the batter and spun the limb so that it blended the ingredients, getting everything into the batter. 

Whiteout nodded, impressed. "Good idea, Soundwave." 

"What is it?" Bumblebee asked. 

"Cookies, once they're baked," Knockout told them. 

Then Whiteout had an idea. "Why don't we take some batter and make it into fun shapes before we bake it? Then we can all have fun. We can put little candies on them too." 

Everyone liked this idea, so Whiteout gave each a scoop of batter to work with. 

This was when Paisley walked in, noticing what was going on. 

She went over to the counter at surveyed the chaos. "So what are you guys making?"

Whiteout pointed to the cookbook.

"Cookies huh? Can I try?" she asked. 

The sparklings tried to tell her it was dangerous, but she couldn't understand them, so she went ahead anyway and popped a bit of batter in her mouth. 

All the sparklings could do is watch as she tasted the dough. They were waiting for something, anything, to happen.

"That's pretty good," she said. "What's in it?" 

They stared at her. 

"You're... not sick?" Ratchet checked. 

"You're... okay?" Whiteout asked. 

"You're... not dying?" Knockout questioned. 

"You're... immune?" Optimus asked in wonder. 

She looked at the stunned sparklings. "What's wrong?" 

"You should be terribly sick from consuming energon," Whiteout said, scanning her. 

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ratchet asked her again, checking her over. 

"Really, guys. I'm fine," she told them, silently laughing as the three medics made sure she had no ill side effects of energon. "Are you worried about me eating the blue stuff?" 

They nodded. 

"I've had it before. When we first found it, me and Reyna thought it was some sort of juice, so we tried it. I gotta say, this tastes a lot better as cookies than raw." 

Whiteout laughed. "She's got a point." 

They all looked at her, who grinned mischievously, before laughing themselves. 

"So we're good now?" Paisley checked. 

They all nodded, and everyone had fun making cookies. 

* * *

Unbeknownst to the happy group, someone was watching from the shadows. She smiled, revealing fangs. 

"Poor little sparklings," she crooned. "You should have listened closer to Reyna's stories. Perhaps then you wouldn't be in this situation. Oh well. At least I get to play a bit more."

She turned to her captives, Autobots and Cons alike, trapped in stasis. 

"Now, who should I send next? The motorcycle? The bull? The dragon?" she stopped in front of four stasis cells. "The wreckers? Yes. These four will do wonderfully." 

She released them from their cells, and Bulkhead, Breakdown, Dreadwing, and Wheeljack collapsed on the floor at her feet. They blinked the sleepiness out of their optics and saw that the lady was almost as tall as them, her hood and cloak dragging on the floor behind her. 

They looked up at her, then immediately got up and pointed their guns at her. 

She clucked her tongue. "Tch, tch. I wouldn't do that. Your friends won't survive if you do." She gestured to the other cells.

They lowered their weapons but didn't move from their defensive positions.

"You've got some nerve, lady," Wheeljack told her through gritted teeth. "Who do you think you are?"

"You can call me Calypso, but then again, you probably won't remember any of this when you arrive, though it would be fun to toy with them. Oh, so many choices," she grinned. 

"What do you-" Breakdown began, but all four froze, locked in stasis once more. 

She stepped forward, placing a hand on Bulkhead's cheek.

"I'd say sweet dreams," she told them, "but there aren't any left." 

She turned to a lone stasis cell where a single girl with angel wings hung in midair, fear etched on her face. 

"After all, with my sister out of the way, the power to control one's destiny is finally _mine_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually longer than I expected it to be, but since I got inspiration halfway through the chapter, so I guess you get bonus material today. Lucky you! 
> 
> I know that you guys probably hate cliffhangers, but I had to stop somewhere. I know. I'm so mean. XD
> 
> Don't forget to comment and submit any OC's you want to see in the story. I still need a family to be the neighbors, and can't write much beyond this point without them. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> 💛🧡😁🧡💛


	6. Wreckers & Witches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wreckers gonna wreck and witches gonna witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it's been a while since I posted on this one, but here you go! One chapter ready for reading!

They were in the middle of shaping cookies when the doorbell rang. 

Paisley sighed and stood up, abandoning her butterfly cookie. "I'll go get it." 

She left, and Whiteout shook her head with a small smile. "This place must be popular," she said, shaping her snowflake cookie. 

"Who do you think it is?" Optimus asked, pausing in the shaping of his Autobot insignia and watching for Paisley's return. 

"Probably more Cybertronians, if my guess means anything," she replied. 

"Probably," Megatron agreed, putting purple candies on his Decepticon symbol cookie. 

When Paisley opened the door, she found Palmyra with a long tube under her arm. 

"Good morning, Paisley," she said cheerfully. "Reyna asked me to drop this off." She handed the tube to Paisley. 

"Thanks, Palmyra," Paisley replied with a wide grin. "Do you want to step inside?" 

"Nah, it's fine. I have to get back to the shop anyway. And, Paisley?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Call me Gadget. Everyone does." 

"Alright, Pal--I mean, Gadget." 

Gadget suddenly remembered something and gestured toward the front yard. "Are you aware you have... things fighting in your front yard?" 

Paisley blinked in surprise. "No. What are they?" 

"I can't quite tell. They covered in snow, but they might be raccoons. Do you want me to scare them off for you?" 

"No, thank you," Paisley sighed, realizing what they must be. "I'll take care of it. Thanks anyway." 

"Alright. See you later, I guess." She stared at the things fighting in the yard. "I swear I've seen those before." She shrugged. "See ya, Paisley." 

"Yeah. See ya." Paisley waited until Gadget had left before calling into the house. "Whiteout? Can I get some help out here?" 

Whiteout sighed and roll her optics. "Called it." She got down from the table. "I'll be back in a second." 

She walked to the front door, and her optics widened. "Volatile? I might need some assistance this time." 

Volatile looked up from her bomb-shaped cookie in surprise. She looked at Optimus. "I know I'm kind of new, but since when does Whiteout asked for back up?" 

"She doesn't," Optimus stated, getting up from the table. 

"I'll come with you two. I have a feeling this is going to be messy," Megatron said quickly. 

"Agreed," Ratchet told them flatly. "You may end up needing a medic." 

The four Cybertronians made their way to the front door to find Paisley and Whiteout, who was flickering very quickly between Blackout and Whiteout, trying to hold Wheeljack and Dreadwing apart so they wouldn't kill each other. Breakdown and Bulkhead just stood there watching, completely stunned. 

Whiteout noticed the four sparklings in the doorway. "We could use a little help here!" she yelled, straining against Wheeljack who was waving his blades wildly at Dreadwing. 

The four sparklings shook away their disbelief and spurred into action. 

Optimus and Megatron helped Paisley hold back Dreadwing while Volatile and Ratchet took over with Wheeljack, allowing Whiteout to stand in between the two Cybertronian fighters. She pulled out her guns and pointed them at the two bots, a no-nonsense look on her face.

Everyone froze. They knew what would happen to them if she fired. 

"Whiteout!" Megatron hissed. "What are you doing?!" 

Paisley looked at her in shock. "Whiteout! I thought you got along with everyone!"

Bulkhead jumped in front of Wheeljack, defending his friend. "Whiteout," he pleaded, "think about what you're doing!" 

Whiteout flickered for a good ten seconds before getting it under control. "Bulkhead," she growled softly. "Move." 

Bulkhead hesitated. 

"NOW BULKHEAD!" she roared, going full-on black before changing back to white.

He moved. Oh, did he move! The green wrecker ran and hid behind a hedge along with Breakdown, both peeking out hesitantly from behind it.

Whiteout ignored the others' complaints and looked, no, _glared_ would be more accurate, at the two fighters in turn before speaking. "This needs to stop. Both of you. Wheeljack, I get that you're angry because Dreadwing killed Seaspray-" 

"He didn't just kill him, he blew him up!!" Wheeljack protested but stopped when Whiteout glared at him. No one wanted Whiteout cross with them. That was a death sentence.

She looked at Dreadwing. "I understand you don't like Autobots because your brother was killed by... Bumblebee, was it?" She looked at Optimus for confirmation, who nodded. "But, however angry you two are, that is not a good reason to kill each other." 

"You're one to talk. You're the one with guns pointed at our..." Dreadwing began but trailed off when he saw the murderous look on her face and the flickering of her colors and wings. "Never mind." 

"Now, you two are going to make up and apologize, and then you're going to promise us you're not going to try to kill each other. Do I make myself clear?"

Wheeljack was about to object when Whiteout interrupted him. "Those who don't, get to taste my guns," she clarified. He shut up and nodded his consent grudgingly. 

Dreadwing nodded as well, and Whiteout retracted her weapons and turned up the volume on her headphones so she wouldn't end up killing someone. 

Dreadwing and Wheeljack stepped forward, putting away their weapons, and shook hands, promising they wouldn't kill each other. Mostly so that Whiteout wouldn't kill them. An angry Predacon can be an amazing incentive.

"Now, why were you two fighting in the first place?" Whiteout asked, trying to help them realize that their fight was stupid to begin with.

This caught them off guard.

"Um..." Wheeljack began, unable to find a legitimate reason. 

"Uh..." Dreadwing trailed off, trying desperately to find the source of his anger. 

Whiteout folded her arms. "I rest my case."

"Wait..." Dreadwing started, realizing something. "Where'd the lady go?" 

This caught _Whiteout_ off guard. "What? What lady?" 

"The lady with the stasis cells," Wheeljack told her, punching his fist into his other hand. "She's the one who deserves the beating." 

Bulkhead and Breakdown came out from behind the hedge and approached, though taking worried glances at Whiteout. 

"She had all the Autobots and Decepticons from the war in stasis cells," Bulkhead explained when he saw the puzzled look on the others' faces. 

"Now that I think about it," Breakdown said, looking around; "Where are we?" 

"And why are we so small?" Wheeljack asked, finally noticing the height difference between himself and the others compared to Paisley. 

Volatile clapped a servo on his shoulder. "That, my friend, is what we're trying to figure out," she said with a humorless laugh. 

Meanwhile, Whiteout, Optimus, and Megatron all exchanged looks. This was bad. 

Optimus told the others silently that they would discuss this later before Megatron decided he'd invite the others inside to avoid further argument.

"Why don't we go back in and finish our cookies? I bet Whiteout would love to get the four of you some cookie dough," he said cheerfully, looking over at Whiteout, who nodded. 

"Of course," she answered, leading the way back inside. 

All this time, Paisley was just staring at the Cybertronians, stunned. 

"It's almost as if they're adults," she breathed, then followed them back inside. 

They all walked back into the dining room, where the others were waiting. 

Knockout saw the group and jumped up, abandoning his cookie, and bear-hugged Breakdown. "Breakdown!! You're alive!!" 

Breakdown smiled and hugged his friend back. "Hello, Knockout." 

Knockout released him and led him over to the table so that he could sit next to him, asking Whiteout to get his friend some dough, who happily obliged.

Bumblebee waved to Bulkhead, who came and sat next to the scout with a smile on his face. 

Wheeljack and Volatile sat next to each other, Volatile explaining what had happened when they arrived and since then. Wheeljack scowled when she told him about the reactor core. 

"Does she think she can take better care of it than you?" he asked in disbelief. After all, the two were bomb experts. 

She shrugged. "I guess. Whiteout said it would be okay, though, so I gave it to her." Then she smiled. "I have reserved the right to say 'I told you so' when the core explodes, though." 

Wheeljack laughed. 

Dreadwing stood before Megatron, who said stoically, "Dreadwing." 

Dreadwing straightened, waiting for a scolding. 

Megatron softened. "It's nice to have you here," he told him with a smile. 

Dreadwing relaxed and accepted some cookie dough, sitting next to his leader. _Maybe this won't be so bad,_ he thought as he looked around the table at the other sparklings. _It seems that everyone is so relaxed here, no hierarchy or picking sides. I could get used to this._

Optimus approached Whiteout, who had gone back to her snowflake cookie. 

"Hello, Optimus. Is there something you wanted to say to me?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the cookie dough. 

"Uh, yes." He formed the question in his head before asking it, not wanting to anger the Predacon. "Why did you act the way you did earlier, with the others and the fight?" 

She sighed, pausing in the molding of her cookie to look at Optimus. "I know you probably don't understand my motives there, but I knew those two would react best to force. I mean, do you think they would have actually listened to me if I just asked them nicely to stop?" 

"No." 

"Those two are stubborn and prideful. It takes drastic measures to get through to someone like that. Believe me, I should know." She looked over at Megatron. "They can't always hear any other way. I've learned that over a long time, especially with a certain black fox." She laughed humorlessly. 

Optimus nodded. "Next time though, can you warn us first?" he asked, smiling slightly. 

She grinned mischievously. "I'll see what I can do." 

After finishing her butterfly cookie, Paisley watched as the sparklings talked amongst themselves, molded their cookies, and generally acted like kids, without a care in the world. They were happy. 

"They're pretty good with each other for warring parties," she muttered to herself. "Maybe something has changed that I didn't know about." 

Once everyone was done with their creations, Paisley helped the sparklings put their creations on a pan and get them into the oven.

Now all the sparklings had left to do was wait for the cookies to bake. Now, as a rule, kids aren't very good at waiting. Sparklings are no different. 

Paisley suggested that they go into the library to find a book to read. Everyone, though some reluctantly, agreed, and they followed Whiteout, Paisley, Megatron, and Optimus into the library. 

Those who hadn't already been in the library looked around in awe, and Paisley laughed. 

"Welcome to the Marono scrollatorium, as my mother used to call it," Paisley said with a smile. "One of the largest libraries in Lone Wolf, Utah." 

As the others began to scan the shelves, Wheeljack tripped over a table's leg and fell flat on his face. He saw the mosaic on the floor and scrambled to his feet, not taking his eyes off the people in the artwork. He slowly made his way over to Bulkhead and patted his shoulder to get his attention. 

"Bulkhead," he hissed. "Bulkhead!" 

"Yeah, Jackie?" he answered, his face in a book about monster trucks. "What is it?" 

"Look at the floor!" Wheeljack said, annoyed that Bulkhead wasn't paying attention. 

Bulkhead shrugged, put down the book, and did as his friend asked. When he saw what was depicted in the art, his optics widened. 

"Yeah. It's her," Wheeljack said worriedly. 

The two wreckers moved through the chaos of chairs, lamps, tables, and couches to find Breakdown and Dreadwing, who had similar reactions. 

The four Bots and Cons made their way over to the leaders and the Pred, who were deep in discussion about the same subject. 

"If they actually saw Calypso, this is bad news," Whiteout said in hushed tones. 

"Well, there's not much we can really do about it," Megatron whispered worriedly. 

"No, there isn't," Optimus agreed. 

"So, what do we do?" Whiteout asked the other two leaders. 

"How about explaining what in the world is going on," Wheeljack said from behind them, startling the three bots. 

"Oh, Wheeljack!" Whiteout said so sheepishly, she could have grown wool and said baa for all anyone else knew, and you wouldn't be able to the difference. "How are you today? And you... brought friends! Yay." 

Optimus put a hand to his temples, while Megatron sighed in exasperation, saying, "Whiteout, you're not fooling anyone." 

She deflated considerably. "Oh. Oops." 

"What is up with the art on the floor, and what do you three know about it?" Bulkhead asked, looking between the three bots, who exchanged worried looks. 

"Well," Whiteout began, gathering her thoughts. "this morning, while the other sparklings were watching a movie with Paisley-" 

"That's why we're small?" Breakdown asked in disbelief. "We've been turned back into sparklings!"

"Yes, but it's not nice to interrupt," Whiteout scolded before continuing on. "As I was saying, this morning, we were in the kitchen, searching for something to eat, when I found energon in the pantry. I wanted to make something special, which is why I asked about a library. We came in here because I was looking for a cookbook, but Megatron saw the floor. He was the one who brought it to our attention." She looked over at Megatron, letting him continue the story. 

"I saw that it was a battle with Cybertronians, but the others had their helms buried in their books, so it took a little bit to get them to notice," Megatron said, looking in the bookworms' direction. 

Whiteout smirked. "Guilty."

"If you look on the ceiling, you can see Primus and Unicron fighting amongst demons and angels," Optimus told them. "The floor mosaic is a war between Cybertronians and humans, but Reyna called them mages." 

Whiteout led them over to another section of the floor and pointed out three different figures: one Cybertronian, and two human mages. "This is Solus Prime, and that there," she pointed at the angel-winged girl. "That's Madalynn, and there, the shadow-cloaked laughing girl is-" 

"Calypso," Bulkhead breathed. 

The four bots shuddered at the memory of her. To them, it was almost as if the mosaic could turn and speak to them, her piercing yellow eyes boring into their sparks.

"So you did see her," Optimus clarified. "You saw the trickster." 

"Yeah," Breakdown confirmed. 

"It wasn't really a pleasant experience," Dreadwing told the leaders. 

Wheeljack balled his servos into fists at the visage of Calypso, remembering her confident smile as she gestured to the other Cybertronians in the stasis cells. "If I ever see her again..." he growled.

Bulkhead placed a servo on his friend's shoulder, and Wheeljack looked up at his fellow Wrecker. "We'll give her a beating she won't forget," he promised. 

Wheeljack nodded. 

Dreadwing spoke up. "So... do we tell the others?" 

"No," Optimus deadpanned. 

"Why not?" Bulkhead asked in surprise. "Don't the others need to know?" 

"We don't want to cause widespread chaos," Megatron explained. "We need more information." 

"This is important! The others need to know about Calypso and Madalynn!" Breakdown said in disbelief. 

"We will tell them. Eventually. We need to gather more intel on our enemy," Optimus told them. 

"But-" Wheeljack began but was interrupted by Whiteout.

"This decision is FINAL," Whiteout roared, before lowering her voice again. "We are not telling them right now unless they ask about it. Do. You. Understand?" she hissed, glaring daggers at the four bots. 

The four bots nodded glumly. 

"Good," Whiteout said, turning up the volume on her headphones again. "Now, I think the cookies are done baking. Let's go ask Paisley."

She got off the couch, ending the discussion, and walked into the kitchen, where Paisley was pulling the blue cookies out of the oven.

Paisley called the other sparklings into the dining room and promptly got stampeded by tiny robots rushing to the table. She passed around the cookies, making sure to give each sparkling their creation so they wouldn't start any fights. 

When everyone finished their scrumptious confections, the little sparklings began to yawn. 

Paisley smiled motherly at the tired Cybertronians. "Aw, you guys are probably exhausted. It's been a lot of excitement for one day." She picked up a half-asleep fox in her arms and led the sparklings up the stairs to a hallway with over two dozen bedrooms. 

"Take your pick," she told them. "We'll repaint and decorate and get new furniture later." 

They nodded and chose bedrooms next to their friends. At the end of the hall, just like they had at the table that morning, Whiteout's room was in between Optimus Prime's and Megatron's rooms. 

Every single sparkling found a bed and collapsed on it, 

**_Dreaming innocent children's dreams for the first time in a lifetime_ **

* * *

When Reyna finally got home, it was close to midnight, and she was tired to the bone.

She hung up her coat, hat, scarf, and gloves, and dragged her feet into the living room where Paisley was quietly reading a book. She looked at her, confused. 

"How was your day, Reyna?" Paisley asked her sister, looking up from her book.

"Where are the Cybertronians?" Reyna asked, looking around, a puzzled look on her face. 

"They collapsed about eight hours ago. They're all upstairs in bedrooms," Paisley replied, putting the book down on the couch next to her. 

Reyna nodded. "We should probably go check on them." 

"Yeah." Paisley agreed, standing up from the couch and leading her sister up the stairs to what she had dubbed 'The Cybertronians' Hall of Fame.'

"They're mostly down at the other end of the hallway," Paisley told her sister, allowing her to take the lead. 

All the rooms were empty. 

Paisley looked around in alarm. "Where could they have gone?" 

"Over here," her sister whispered from the doorway of Whiteout's room. 

The two girls peeked through the doorway to find 13 sparklings fast asleep on Whiteout's king-size bed. 

Whiteout was smack in the middle between Optimus and Megatron, who slept by Ratchet and Soundwave respectively. Laserbeak perched on the headboard above Soundwave. Knockout, Breakdown, and Dreadwing took up the bottom left corner, while the three wreckers were cuddled close together on the right. Bumblebee was curled up on Ratchet's right, while Shockwave was on Soundwave's left. Everyone was wrapped up in their blanket (the four latest arrivals retrieved theirs from outside earlier) snug as a bug.

_**And they all had smiles on their faces.** _

Yes, even Soundwave had a smiling sleeping emoji on his helm. 

You see, earlier that night, Megatron and Optimus heard Whiteout whimpering through the walls, so they went to check on her, only to find a shivering fox flickering back and forth, probably in the middle of a really bad nightmare. The other two felt bad for the Predacon, so they grabbed their blankets and got into bed with her, which made her stop shivering and relax, a smile spreading across her canine muzzle. 

Eventually, everyone made their way to Whiteout's room and curled up on the bed with the others. First the wreckers, then the medics and their friends, then the seeker, then the scout and the spy, and lastly the scientist.

It seemed that there was a comforting atmosphere in that room, as if nothing could go wrong in the world as long as they were together. There, everything was perfect, innocent, loved. 

The two sisters smiled. 

"Maybe we can get some bunkbeds and group them according to friend groups in the bedrooms," Paisley suggested. 

"That sounds perfect," Reyna agreed. 

Hearing the girls at the door, Megatron and Optimus sat up sleepily and held fingers to their lips, telling them to be quiet as to not wake the others, but laid down again as they felt Whiteout begin quivering. 

Reyna chuckled softly along with her sister, then slowly closed the door. 

**Leaving the Cybertronians to their perfect, innocent sleep.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was fun, wasn't it? Great! (Now if I could just figure out how to write the tenth chapter we'd be fine...)
> 
> Some of you are probably wondering where the real "drama" is in this chapter. (Unless you consider a gun to the face drama.) The answer is, there really isn't any. I wanted the sparklings to sort of... settle in before I threw much more at them. 
> 
> Did anyone get the "witches" reference? Comment below what you think that means, and I'll tell you guys the answer in the next update.
> 
> As for Palmyra, AKA "Gadget," Alinamo? For those who read "GP"... maybe you'll find a connection between the two of my stories. I'm not saying anything more until the time comes. Hopefully, at least a few of you got the hint.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> \- Whiteout Predacon


	7. Nightmares & Forgotten Dreams - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Morning! (Or Afternoon. Or night. I don't know what time zone you guys are all in. XD) Today the gang gets almost completely back together again!! Hooray!! That does mean that Calypso is getting what she wants, but who cares?! It's still awesome!!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!!! 

In Calypso's lair, the demoness herself was strolling through the stasis cells.

"Hmm. Who do I send today?" she asked herself. 

She stopped before eight cells and smiled. 

"These will do," she grinned. 

She let them out of their cells but didn't let them move. They could only watch her gloat. 

"The triplets, the would-be-Prime, the bull, the two-wheeler, the commander, the seeker... yes." She laughed. "This will be entertaining." 

She stepped forward to place a hand on the 'Would-be-Prime's' helm. 

"You all need to learn to get along. After all, the absence of Kindness leads to the formation of Evil. Whiteout knew that. You should all listen to her." 

She turned, preparing herself for the spell she was about to cast.

"For that little fox..." she chuckled, thinking of the dreams Whiteout would be having right then, before continuing, "just might save you all." She grinned. "Tell her Calypso says hello."

And she sent them on their way to the Marono's, where the light was beginning to fade...

 **_Once again_** **_._ **

* * *

Reyna woke up the next morning at 6 and walked into her sister's room after getting ready for the day; showering, doing her hair up into a ponytail, and changing into a grey t-shirt and sweatpants. 

Paisley waved at her when she turned on the lights, still half asleep. 

"Is there a reason you're making me get up so early?" she asked her sister, annoyed. 

"We should probably go check on the bots," Reyna said, not unkindly. She knew her sister was not a morning person, but more of a night owl. 

"Fine," Paisley yawned, her orange hair a mess. "Just let me spruce up a bit first." 

"'Spruce'?" her sister echoed with a smirk. 

"Oh, shut up," Paisley snapped, throwing a pillow in the direction of the door, missing her sister because she closed the door before the impact. 

Reyna was known for making jokes with her sister about plants and animals since she did work at a wildlife reserve as a ranger and had earned the nickname "Redwood." It was a running joke that had been going on for years. 

Half an hour later, Paisley came out of her room in a green t-shirt and jeans, hair braided neatly over her shoulder.

She glared jokingly at her sister. "Now, I'm ready." 

Reyna smiled. "You look good." 

"Thanks. As the snow hasn't quite melted yet, I'm out of the job for a few weeks, so I get to wear just about whatever I want here at home." She started down the hallway toward the Cybertronians' rooms. "Let's go." 

They made their way through the second floor, checking to make sure that none of the sparklings had gone back to sleep in their own rooms, which no one had. When they reached Whiteout's room, they counted _12_ robots still asleep in her bed. 

"Someone is missing!" Reyna hissed to her sister as to not wake up the slumbering Cybertronians. 

Paisley silently did a roll call in her head before whispering back, "It's Whiteout." 

"Then where is she? Isn't this **_her_** bedroom?" 

Paisley thought for a second. "Maybe downstairs? She did a lot of things yesterday." 

"Let's go see." 

The two sisters quietly went down the stairs and into the dining room to find a white fox-bot sitting at the table.

Her seat was surrounded by art supplies, mostly drawing utensils and paper. She had her brow furrowed in concentration as she drew, oblivious to the fact that Reyna and Paisley were watching. Sketches of demons and Cybertronians and angels littered the table, probably failed first drafts of whatever she was trying to draw. Her wings were tucked close to her body and her tail swung slowly behind her, hanging off the bench. But the most alarming thing was that her optics were yellow, like Blackout's.

"I have a feeling we shouldn't disturb her," Reyna said to her sister. 

"Agreed." Paisley looked over at the counter where the Cybertronian/Earth cookbook lay abandoned from the day before. She pointed this out to Reyna. "Why don't we make something for them to eat for breakfast?" 

"That sounds like a great idea," Reyna grinned. 

They searched through the cookbook for good breakfast food, finding energon pancakes a good idea.

As they began cooking, Whiteout continuing to draw and color obliviously, one by one the other sparklings woke up and made their way downstairs in their own way. 

The first to emerge from the bedroom were Optimus and Megatron. When they woke up to find Whiteout gone, they carefully got out of bed as to not wake anyone else, and they quickly came downstairs to look for her. Barging into the dining room/kitchen frantically, they calmed down when they saw Whiteout at the table with the art supplies scattered around her, deep in concentration. 

Optimus approached her, studying her drawings. He gasped when he realized what they were of. 

"What is it, Optimus?" Megatron asked him, not yet seeing the Predacon's artwork. 

"Look," was all the Prime said to the warlord, moving aside so Megatron could see. 

Megatron's optics widened when he saw the demons, angels, sparklings, and other things scrawled on the papers. "What does it mean?" he asked Optimus. 

"It means we leave her alone until she's done," he replied, moving to help Paisley and Reyna in the kitchen. 

"She must think this is important if she's ignoring us," Megatron reasoned, climbing up to the counter with his friend.

"I don't think she's intentionally ignoring us. Perhaps she has yet to notice our arrival in her concentration." 

"Have you ever seen her like this?" 

"Once. She had been having nightmares, and Gadget advised writing them down or drawing them on a sheet of paper. Whiteout took a more artistic approach and became quite the artist. The fact that she is doing it now is a bad omen." 

"What does it mean?" 

"I don't know yet. We have to wait until she is finished with her drawings." 

"All right." 

Once their conversation was completed, they offered their services to Reyna and Paisley and began to help with the pancakes. 

Next were the three Wreckers, who walked cheerily into the room, deep in conversation. 

Then Volatile saw Whiteout and led the others away from her and her work.

"Why do we have to avoid her right now?" Wheeljack asked her, puzzled. He hadn't seen Whiteout like this before. 

"Because she had a dream," Bulkhead stated flatly. "Her instincts are telling her it's important." He remembered the first time they didn't listen to Whiteout's feelings. It was when they found the scraplet trap in the Arctic. They sorely regretted it afterward. He had learned not to doubt her judgment. 

"And when Whiteout finds something important, you listen, or you regret it," Volatile agreed. She was close enough to the Predacon to know that this was bad news.

Wheeljack shrugged. "Alright." 

They too went to help the sisters in their kitchen duties (though the others were careful not to let Wheeljack & Volatile tamper with the batter - no exploding pancakes please). 

The third group consisted of Ratchet, Bee, Breakdown, Knockout and Dreadwing. Ratchet and Bee noticed Whiteout and immediately went to help the other sparklings with breakfast, but the Cons didn't understand and tried to approach her. 

Megatron and the other Autobots jumped in front of them, shaking their heads with frightened expressions on their faces. 

"What's wrong?" Dreadwing asked. 

"Don't disturb her while she's working," Megatron told them, checking to make sure Whiteout hadn't looked up. 

"Why not? I just want to ask her what she's drawing," Knockout said.

"Do you want to keep your finish shiny?" Volatile asked him. 

Knockout's optics went wide, realizing what she meant when he saw Whiteout's yellow optics. That was Blackout's mark. 

The other two still didn't get it.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Breakdown asked the Wrecker femme. 

"Can't you see the yellow optics?" Ratchet asked them in disbelief. "That's Blackout sitting there, not Whiteout. Interrupt her, and you're as good as dead." 

The two Cons stared at Whiteout in horror.

Whiteout didn't move, still oblivious to her surroundings.

"Why don't we help everyone else with what they're doing?" Knockout asked his fellow Cons, leading them over to the counter and away from the potentially murderous Predacon, the other Bots following. 

The two girls watched all of this, considerate of each of the reactions to Whiteout.

"Huh. Seems like everyone is avoiding her," Paisley said to her sister, flipping the pancakes alongside Megatron and Optimus. 

"They probably know something we don't," Reyna replied, helping Knockout make the peach syrup.

Lastly were Shockwave, Soundwave, and Laserbeak. Shockwave was already avoiding the Predacon, so he went directly to the counter, but Soundwave walked over to the table, not noticing the Autobots' warnings. He sat down next to her, and when she reached for a pencil, he used his tentacles to get it for her. 

She looked up in surprise, the yellow fading out of one eye. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she realized that the silent mech was sitting next to her. "Thanks, Soundwave." 

A smiley emoji showed up on his screen, and Whiteout chuckled before turning back to her project, Laserbeak perched on her shoulder, watching. 

Maybe five minutes later, she looked up again and turned around, finally noticing the others. "Oh! Hi. When did you guys get down here?" she asked. 

"Oh, we've been done here for a while," Ratchet told her, placing a finished pancake on the stack. 

"Have you guys been watching me the whole time?" she asked, hands on her hips. 

"Maybe," Volatile answered sheepishly, hiding behind Paisley's arm to avoid the Predacon's gaze. 

One eyebrow shot up. "And I only just realized you were here... why?" 

"We didn't want to disturb your concentration," Optimus explained, helping Megatron flip a pancake. 

"We were wondering..." Breakdown said. 

"What are you drawing?" Knockout finished for him. 

Whiteout blinked in surprise, looking at her drawings. "I... I'm not quite sure yet." 

"Then keep going! We want to see when you're done!" Bumblebee said with a big smile. "Your artwork is always amazing when it's finished." 

Whiteout looked away, a bright blue filling her cheeks. "Thanks." She turned back to the drawing, trying to avoid anyone seeing the blushing.

A few minutes later, she was back in the yellow-eyed trance, but this time, she began singing softly: 

" _Do you ever lie awake at night?  
Just between the dark and the morning light?  
Searching for the things you used to know,  
Looking for the place where the lost things go._

_"Do you ever dream or reminisce?  
Wondering where to find what you truly miss?  
Well maybe all those things that you love so  
Are waiting in the place where the lost things go._

_"Memories you've shared, gone for good you feared,  
They're all around you still though they've disappeared.  
Nothing's really left or lost without a trace.  
Nothing's gone forever, only out of place._

_"So maybe now the dish and my best spoon  
Are playing hide and seek just behind the moon,  
Waiting there until it's time to show.  
Spring is like that now, far beneath the snow,  
Hiding in the place where the lost things go._

_"Time to close your eyes so sleep can come around  
For when you dream you'll find all that's lost, is found.  
Maybe on the moon, or maybe somewhere new.  
Maybe all you're missing lives inside of you._

_"So when you need her touch and loving gaze,  
'Gone but not forgotten,' is the perfect phrase.  
Smiling from a star that she makes glow.  
Trust she's always there, watching as you grow.  
Find her in the place where the lost things go."_

Everyone and everything was absolutely silent as she sang this solemn song of comfort, working on her project all the while. No one dared disturb the beautiful web of love and light that she spun with her silver thread of music, for fear it would break and they would all fall into the depths of despair. Even Paisley and Reyna were quiet, somehow able to know what she was trying to say. 

All the fear, and rage, and sorrow, and resentment disappeared from that room while the sweet melodies echoed through the house. It was almost as if there was an orchestra to accompany the lone Predacon as she helped everyone else let go of their negativity. The Cons and the Bots smiled at each other, all animosity gone. Shockwave just stood there listening, stunned at how beautiful his beastly creation truly was. Ratchet's normally grumpy mood vanished as he absorbed the meaning of the softly sung lyrics. Reyna watched the Predacon in wonder, her heavy heart lifting as Whiteout took her burden away. Paisley smiled, realizing how understanding the sparkling truly was. 

You see, as battle-worn Cybertronians, each and every one of the sparklings had lost someone at sometime. Optimus had lost Elita-One, Megatron his family, Volatile and Wheeljack the other wreckers, Knockout his best friend, Soundwave his minicons. The list of losses could go on and on, each one just as devastating as the last, none of them able to find relief. They had trudged on for years, decades, centuries, even millennia with these pains and sorrows, searching for relief, a way to get rid of the guilt for some. They all had used different solutions, to varying degrees of success, but unable to remove it completely. This was Whiteout's offering of peace, of hope, as she took her understanding to remove the burden of hatred and grief, pulling their negativity in on herself. They became innocent once more, true sparklings. This was their chance to start over, and Whiteout was going to make sure they took it. 

But then the moment was over, shattered by the ringing of the doorbell, but the feelings... they would remain until the end of time. 

"Hey, Oreo? Would you get the door?" Reyna asked, cuddling Knockout who had burned his digits on the hot pan. "Cherry here needs some attention."

They all looked at her. 

"'Oreo'?" Paisley clarified. 

"He's got a giant oreo behind his head! What else would you call him? Toolbox?" she said defensively. 

Paisley looked at Breakdown. "I think she means you," she told him. 

He walked to the door, muttering, "What in the world is an oreo anyway?" He pulled the door open and his optics widened. "Megatron? We may need some help." 

"Yeah?" He went to the entryway and stopped dead. "Optimus? I need you to keep Whiteout away from the front door?" 

"Why- oh?" Optimus realized who must be at the door for Megatron to ask that. They didn't want to repeat the "Shockwave Incident" from the day before, and he had a pretty good guess who had finally arrived. 

"You know I can hear you, right?" Whiteout asked, not looking up from her drawings. 

"Yes, we are well aware," Optimus confirmed. 

"You also know that I can hear the entire argument outside, correct? Even the whiny, stiletto-heeled creep who deserves to be strapped to Knockout's dissection table?" 

Optimus blinked in surprise. "Is that Whiteout or Blackout talking?" 

"Both." 

"Oh dear. This is going to be trouble." 

Meanwhile in the front hall: Ultra Magnus, Smokescreen, and Arcee had their guns pointed at Starscream & three Vehicons. Starscream was the only Con who was ready to shoot back. The Vehicon triplets, along with a red mech who stood at Arcee's side, just stood there, puzzled and a bit scared. 

Optimus walked in, first making sure that Whiteout would stay in the kitchen, and tried to help Megatron break up the fight. 

"Guys now isn't the time to fight," Megatron said to his Cons. "You got here just in time for breakfast! Why not come and have some energon pancakes?" 

Arcee nearly choked on his words. "Energon _what_?!" 

"Arcee, Ultra Magnus, Smokescreen, put the guns away and we will explain," Optimus told his team soothingly. 

"I am beginning to regret not bringing Whiteout," Megatron whispered to Optimus. "At least she got them to stop fighting last time." 

Optimus nodded. "Agreed." 

"Whiteout? That stupid flying canine is here!" Starscream asked. Whether in horror or annoyance, they couldn't tell. 

"Yes, I am," Whiteout called from the other room. "And I am just as unhappy with this arrangement as you are, Starscream." 

Megatron turned around, annoyed. "When we wanted you to stay in the dining room, it was so that you _didn't_ interact with Starscream." 

"You are aware that's impossible, right? We live in the same house. I can hear the entire conversation." 

Megatron grasped the bridge of his nose. "Predacons," he muttered darkly. 

"What was that?" She knew exactly what he said. 

"Nothing!" he called back before taking a deep breath and turning back to the eight sparklings in the doorway. "Point is, we aren't going to fight here." 

"But they're Decepticons," Ultra Magnus objected, before getting a glare from Optimus. The Prime was as tired of this as the Warlord was. 

"They're Autobots! Our enemies!" Starscream screeched. "We cannot spare them! Think of the hundreds of Decepticons they've killed!" 

"You're one to talk, Screamy," Smokescreen shot back. "You've killed countless Autobots yourself!" 

"Only in service to Lord Megatron!" Starscream explained defensively. 

"Tell that to Cliff," Arcee snarled in a voice any Predacon would be proud of. "Megatron wasn't there when you offlined him." 

"Uh, Arcee?" the red mech began, standing behind her. 

"Not right now, Cliff. I'm trying to-" Her optics widened when she realized what she just said. She turned around. "Cliffjumper?" 

The red mech smiled. "It's me, Arcee. It's really me." 

"Cliffjumper!!" She (after putting her guns away) wrapped him in a huge bear hug. "You're alive!" 

"Oof. I forgot how strong of a grip you have," he chuckled, hugging her back. 

"What's going on out here?" Reyna asked as she walked into the entryway, 'Cherry' still in her arms. She noticed three bots with their guns out, and how the triplets, Cliff, and Arcee were staying out of the fight.

She put Knockout on the ground, who went to stand next to Breakdown, before standing in between the three angry bots, hands on her hips. 

"Now, I've only been around you guys for a couple of days, but this is our house, and you are going to respect it," she told "Preach it, sister," Knockout said approvingly, arms crossed. 

"Cherry?" She gave Knockout a look that made him look down in shame. [[[

"Sorry, Reyna. I'll be quiet," he said quietly, looking up into her eyes with an apologetic smile. 

She nodded her forgiveness, then turned back to the angry bots. 

"We have rules in this house, ones that Bossbot & Patriot will explain later, but the most important one is..." She looked at the two leaders. 

"No weapons," they said in unison. 

"Exactly. I think." She paused, considering if they would have actually answered correctly, before beginning again. "Anyone who even shows guns in this house will be punished, with the exception of Bossbot and Cyclops, because they can't remove their weapons. Do you understand?"

The three bots gawked at her in disbelief. 

Ultra Magnus looked over at Optimus, who was standing behind Reyna. "Who does she think she is?" 

"The head of this household," he answered. 

Starscream had had enough and pointed his guns at Reyna's face. 

Reyna stared at him, awestruck and furious. "What in the WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" she shrieked. 

The others began to rush forward, hoping to protect Reyna.

Starscream was about to do something drastic when something strange happened. Soft humming began to fill the air, and everyone froze, listening to the low melody. It turned into the quiet, "Doo doo do doo. Doo doo do doo. Doo doo doo do, do, do," as Whiteout stepped into the room, having left her project to be watched over by Soundwave and Laserbeak. 

Optimus turned to find Whiteout's optics... were glowing white! And that wasn't even the strangest part! One of her feathered wings had taken Blackout's traditional batwing shape, and half of her seemed to be flickering back and forth between Whiteout and Blackout. Her headphones were nowhere to be seen, having been abandoned on the table with her artwork. She walked through the group, and as she touched the angered sparks and souls, taking their negativity into herself, her voice crescendoed from pianissimo to forte, singing: 

_"Love is not proud.  
Love does not boast.  
Love, after all,  
Matters the most._

_"Love does not run.  
Love does not hide.  
Love does not keep  
Locked inside._

_"Love is the river that flows through.  
Love never fails you._

_"Love will sustain.  
Love will provide.  
Love will not cease  
At the end of time._

_"Love will protect.  
Love always hopes!  
Love still believes  
When you don't._

_"Love is the arms that are holding you.  
Love never fails you._

_"When my heart_ _won't_ _make a sound,  
When I can't turn back around,  
When the sky is falling down,  
Nothing is greater than this!  
Greater than this!_

_"Love is right here.  
Love is alive.  
Love is the way,  
The truth, the life!_

_"Love is the river_ _that_ _flows through.  
Love is the arms that are holding you.  
Love is the place you will fly to.  
Love never fails you."_

When she had finished, making sure everyone was relaxed and calm, she went back to the dining room to finish her project, reverting back to her normal form.

The eight new arrivals & Reyna just watched her go, awestruck. 

Megatron waited until sound resumed before laughing, not wanting to disturb the perfect atmosphere his canine friend had created. "That's Whiteout for ya," he grinned. 

Arcee blinked, her pain from losing two partners having vanished miraculously with the Predacon's touch. "What just happened?" she asked. 

"Who cares?" Cliffjumper sighed happily. "It felt amazing." 

"Agreed," Smokescreen smiled. 

"Now that you are all calm," Optimus said with his signature smile, "why don't we go have breakfast? We'll explain everything afterward. I promise." 

"Sounds good to me," Cliff replied, following the Prime, the others in tow. 

When they reached the dining room, a good third of the table was still covered by Whiteout's project, but the rest was taken by five sparklings and a girl, all eating pancakes. 

Paisley looked up, noticing the others entering. "Oh! New arrivals?" 

"Eight of them," her sister confirmed softly, kissing her sister on the forehead before getting breakfast for the 12 bots yet to be seated at the table. She considered getting plates for Soundwave & Whiteout but decided against it. After all, she had no doubt that Whiteout would be furious if her project was ruined by sticky syrup, seeing Whiteout's optics having turned yellow again. 

Starscream sat down at the table tentatively, fearing he would be assaulted the second he took a seat, but instead Bumblebee welcomed him, even inviting the seeker to sit in between him and Dreadwing and passing him a plate of energon pancakes. 

The triplets grabbed a seat & sat between the Wreckers & the Medics, grabbing a plate near to them and scarfing down the pancakes before Paisley admonished them on the dangers of choking. Then they slowed down a bit.

Ultra Magnus chose to sit next to Dreadwing, engaging in a conversation about loyalty and rules. Those two would get along just fine. 

Arcee & Cliff were the last to the table, and Whiteout even looked up when he did, saying, "Hello, Cliffjumper. It's nice to see you again," before going straight back to her project. 

He blinked in surprise before whispering to Arcee, "Isn't that the one from the entryway? With the pretty singing voice?" 

"Yeah," she replied, not really concerned about it and beginning to cut into her pancakes. 

"Didn't she just see me?" 

She shrugged. "This is Whiteout we're talking about. Nothing about her makes sense. Get used to it, because it's not going to change." 

"When did she join? I'm pretty sure there are at least five people at this table I don't know besides the humans." 

Arcee looked up at her partner. "True. So here's the deal; a few days after you... offlined, we got a lock on the Nemesis' location. Obviously, we were going to go make some chaos, but as we were trying to leave, Ratchet got a lock on an unknown Autobot-like life signal. We had just lost you, so Optimus went to search for them, knowing that an extra team member would be invaluable. We were shocked when he came back with a Predacon, an old friend of his from before the war, no less. We didn't trust her at first, but over time, she proved herself to be an invaluable ally. She is one of the toughest and most dangerous warriors I've ever known. We are all thankful that she is on our side of the battlefield." 

"Wow. She's a Predacon?" Cliff asked, watching the silent Predacon work diligently on her project.

"One of Shockwave's experiments from before the war, but don't mention him to her. He abandoned her at Kaon, and she has yet to forgive him for that. However, she is thankful that she met Megatron there. She's good friends with him & Optimus." 

"So why didn't she help one side or the other in the war?" 

"She was imprisoned on the Nemesis most of the war by Starscream because she wouldn't join the Decepticons. We're not quite sure what he did to her, and not even Optimus dares ask, but those two have some serious issues. She gets along with everyone else though. She only fights Predaking because she doesn't want anyone else to get hurt trying." 

"Predaking?" 

"He's the... odd. He's not here. Wonder why. Everyone else is. He's another Predacon anyway, the most recent of Shockwave's experiments. He seems to care more about Predaking than his earlier ones, to Whiteout's fury." 

"Strange. So who's everyone else?" 

"Ultra Magnus (you might remember him) was Optimus' commander during the war. He's very strict and by the book. He's the one with the reverse color scheme of Optimus Prime," she explained, pointing to the bot who was still deep in conversation with Dreadwing. 

"Okay. I think I might remember him a little." 

"The two next to Bulkhead are Volatile & Wheeljack, fellow Wreckers. Wheeljack, the white one, was searching the galaxy for others when he arrived on Earth. He didn't really stick around much until later. He's kind of a loner. Ultra Magnus' military attitute drives the Wrecker nuts. They have gone head to head quite a few times." She took a bite of her pancakes before continuing. "Now Volatile, the pink and black femme laughing over there, is an interesting story. She was in a battle with the other Wreckers about halfway into the war when Wheeljack & Bulkhead were shot down. She thought they were dead for quite a while. Caught unawares, she was captured by Decepticons and brought on board the Nemesis, where she became friends with Soundwave & Breakdown and eventually joined the Cons because of them. She's actually quite the scientist since she makes her own explosives, but she's a tad shy. Not particularly close to Knockout, she thinks that his need for a good finish is kind of silly. In fact, they've started several fights over that topic. She only tolerates him because he's friends with Breakdown. Soundwave is friends with her because they both understand the usefulness of silence. Something about when someone who has been silent for a while speaks, people listen to them. I don't know. You'd have to ask her." 

"I'm guessing you two are friends?" 

"Yeah," Arcee agreed sadly, putting down her fork. "She's really good to talk to. She's... well, lost her friends, although temporarily. She knows how it feels." 

"The kid with the streaking double 38's is Smokescreen. Trained in the Elite Guard during the war on Cybertron, he was posted in the Hall of Iacon, where he met Alpha Trion. That's how Optimus let him come back to base. Even Whiteout trusted him from the get-go. She said that her instincts were telling her that he was important, and her instincts are always right." She shrugged. "The kid's a bit of a rookie, but he's actually pretty intuitive. Saved Optimus' life once. We were all surprised by that." She paused. "Except for Whiteout. I don't know how, but she seems to know about things before they happen." 

Cliffjumper nodded thoughtfully. A lot had happened since he had been offlined by Starscream, it seemed, but Whiteout intrigued him the most. He promised himself he would get to know her better. "What about the gold-faced one next to Ultra Magnus?" 

"That's Dreadwing. He's a Con, so I don't know much about him. I do know that Optimus & Whiteout held him in high regard despite his loyalty to the Cons. He had a twin, but he was killed by Bee. He's very serious but extremely loyal. I can see why he and Ultra Magnus are getting along so well." 

"Huh. That's... cool, I guess." 

Suddenly, Whiteout looked up, her optics yellow. She got off the bench and began walking toward the exit. 

Optimus watched her. "Where are you going, Whiteout?" 

She didn't deter from her path, instead answering, "There is something important I must do." 

"Alright. Do you want company?" 

"I'll be fine alone. I won't be gone long." And she left the room, Laserbeak still on her shoulder, Soundwave protecting her project from sticky fingers. 

Everyone went back to what they were doing until they heard yelling. 

"Who do you think you are, you vain, self-centered, big-headed, inconsiderate, deceitful machiavellian, pig-headed, sorry excuse for a trash can?! I swear you are going to pay for all of this one day!" Whiteout roared in a growly voice before scolding herself in her normal voice; "Blackout, yelling at an inanimate object isn't going to change the situation."

Back to the growly voice: "Maybe not, Whiteout, but it does make me feel better."

Normal Voice: "Let's just get what we came for and leave so we can finish our project."

Growly voice: "Fine." 

There was silence for a good minute while she did what she had left to do. Then Blackout spoke again. 

"If you ever come near my family again," she hissed in her low deadly voice; "I'll-" 

"You'll do what?" 

Everyone froze. That wasn't one of Whiteout's multiple souls' voice. That was someone else. Someone malevolent and ancient. 

Twelve of the bots nearly hid under the table, shivering in fear: the newest arrivals. It took all of their will power not to run screaming. They knew who that voice belonged to, and they feared her more than anything else in the universe, including scraplets. 

They began to discuss amongst themselves in low tones.

"Calypso!" Arcee breathed, optics darting around.

"Who?" Volatile asked. She, and most of the others, didn't know about Calypso, but after this, they would.

The twelve ignored the question, and Megatron & Optimus exchanged looks, engaging in a silent conversation.

"How did she find us?!" Bulkhead asked, his voice barely audible.

"Are you actually asking that?!" Dreadwing hissed, looking around in worry. 

"She's obviously some sort of sorceress!" Smokescreen said in alarm.

"Come now, soldier. There's no such thing as sorceresses, or magic for that matter. There is an absolutely logical and scientific explanation for all of this," Ultra Magnus scolded the rookie, though his voice betrayed his doubt. 

"Logic?! Look at yourself!" Wheeljack told him in disbelief. "You've been turned into a sparkling and transported to a human house, unable to make them understand you. How is any of this logical?!" 

"I-I don't know," Ultra Magnus admitted. 

"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be dead," Cliffjumper reminded them. "There is no logic here." 

"Same," Breakdown agreed. 

"Breakdown? What's going on?" Knockout asked him. 

"Uh..." Breakdown trailed off, remembering how Megatron, Optimus, and Whiteout had said not to tell anyone else yet. Before he could answer, the voice came again.

"Go on," the voice of Calypso laughed. "I want to hear what you'll do, little Blackout. Why should I fear you?" 

"Uh... she didn't mean that. I apologize," said Whiteout, Blackout disappearing completely from her voice. 

Reyna stood up, a look of determination in her eyes. "I don't know who's in there with Whiteout, but I've got a few words for them." She turned to follow Whiteout but was stopped by 14 wide-opticked (I'm pretty sure that's not a word) sparklings.

"What?" she asked. 

They all waved their servos and shook their heads, trying to keep her out of there. 

She sat back down, one eyebrow raised, watching them look between the doorway and her. "Okay, this is weird."

Meanwhile, Whiteout was trying to slowly back out of the library with the book she had gone to retrieve in her arms.

"Why do you leave? Stay a while. I can show you amazing things, Whiteout. Things you've..." She chuckled.

**"... _Only dreamed about_."**

Whiteout's optics widened, and her 'breathing' quickened. How could she know about the nightmares from the night before? She hadn't told _anyone_ about those yet, not even Optimus. She had wanted to figure some things first. 

"Yes, I know all about your dreams. Let's see how soon they can come true, shall we?" 

Whiteout turned and ran, a book in her arms, Laserbeak fluttering to the top of a bookshelf to keep an eye on the talking mosaic.

As Whiteout fled, Calypso's laughter echoed throughout the house, haunting the terrified Predacon all the way back to the dining room. 

After she took her seat at the table, she turned up the volume on her headphones, not because of Blackout, mind you, but for familiarity & comfort. She calmed down before looking at the four terrified arrivals from the day before and saying, "I now realize why you four shuddered at the artwork, guys. Nothing can prepare one for her." 

She placed the book on the table and accidentally knocked one of her completed drawings on the floor. She bent over to pick it up, but Soundwave got it first and handed it to her. 

"Thank you, Soundwave," she said automatically, before studying the drawing. She gasped. "Optimus? You may want to see this." 

He looked over her shoulder, his optics widening. "You weren't there for this." 

"I know." 

The drawing was of the eight newest sparklings in the front entry hall, four with guns out, four just watching. It was drawn from what would have been Breakdown's perspective when he was told to go get the door. The shading and colors were so perfect, if you didn't see the lines from the colored pencils, you could have said it was a photograph.

"How long ago did you draw this?" Megatron asked her in wonder. 

"Um, an hour or so ago. I lose track of time while I'm like this, but this was one of the first ones I did," she told them, her voice wavering. 

"Why? Why did you draw this?" Optimus asked, not unkindly. 

"Blackout said it was important. Said it would make them believe. Winter agreed, something about blasphemy. I didn't quite get that part." 

"Blasphemy means lie, fake," Megatron mused. "Why would Winter think-" 

"It's because not everyone believes in Whiteout's dreams & instincts," Shockwave interrupted. He sighed. “She said this would happen.” 

Whiteout looked at him in surprise. “What?”

He looked at his eldest Predacon experiment, studying her, before saying; 

**_“But I do.”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I was at 20+ pages and realized I wasn’t even CLOSE to being done, so I cut it down to 18.6. The rest is going to be in a Part 2, and maybe even 3, depending on whether I figure out how to stop writing. It’s a problem. 
> 
> You’re probably all wondering who Winter is. Well, to make a long story short (WARNING!! HUGE SPOILER FOR ANOTHER OF MY STORIES ALERT!!!!), Winter is the human soul of Whiteout who keeps the sparks of Blackout & Whiteout from tearing each other apart. Families, am I right? 
> 
> What do you guys want to see the sparkling do? Should Ratchet & Whiteout go to the shop with Reyna and help work on cars? Should Paisley bond more with Soundwave and teach him how to speak again? Should Reyna & Bowser have their wedding with the sparkling there? I want your opinions!!!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for another update soon!!!!


End file.
